League of Legends content creator Nick De Cesare, better known by his online alias LS, has been hospitalized in critical condition on June 14. The 29-year-old has been struggling with a variety of troubling symptoms over the past week, having previously said it's looking unlikely he'll be able to stream any part of the recently delayed League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).
Before rising to prominence for his League of Legends streams, LS was a professional StarCraft 2 player. He also dabbled in coaching over the years, having managed multiple LoL teams at over half a dozen A- and S-tier tournaments since 2014. His Twitch channel currently boasts over 652,000 followers, making him one of the most popular streamers specializing in Riot's hit MOBA. During his broadcasts, LS most often plays as Shaco and Ryze, whom League of Legends lore highlights as one of the game's strongest champions.
De Cesare started having health issues over the past week, with symptoms including a fever, constant and occasionally bloody coughing, nosebleeds, chills, breathing issues, and sharp chest pain, according to his recent Twitter update. Following his fifth emergency room visit in a week, the League of Legends streamer was hospitalized in critical condition on June 14, having revealed as much to his followers on social media later that day. He also asked his fans to enjoy watching the LCS while he's trying to get better, prompting hundreds of responses wishing him a speedy recovery.
His stated symptoms and the fact that he's asthmatic gave rise to some online speculation that LS is suffering from a bad case of COVID-19, which already sidelined xQc and many other streamers in recent years. However, the American content creator specifically said his COVID-19 test came out negative, adding that his blood work and X-rays also yielded no signs of any issues. In a June 13 update, LS also hit out at comments implying that his health issues are an indicator of an "unhealthy" lifestyle, arguing how such criticism is based on nothing but the fact that he "occasionally" orders fast food during his Twitch streams.
LS's inability to stream the LCS, which resumed its planned schedule on June 14, is a big loss for the game's community. Fans have often praised his ability to explain League of Legends roles and strategies, which is a hallmark of his accessible style of punditry. His consistently entertaining and informative broadcasts eventually landed him a gig at FlyQuest, a stateside eSports organization which hired him as a caster and content creator back in March 2023.