An iconic 4chan copypasta from the year 2012 inspired a series of almost-heartwarming eulogies online. Colloquially known as "John Is Kill", the badly spelled 4chan post asked its readers where they were when they heard John Lennon died, but instead came to be remembered as the fateful post that may have killed the English language instead.

If you've seen parodies following the format "X is kill, when were you?" here's where the memes originated.

Where Does 'John Is Kill' Come From?

A series of 4chan posts in 2012 commemorated the deaths of various celebrities including Heath Ledger and John Lennon. The posts were written in particularly broken English, perhaps as a means of mocking the popular Reddit-core saying "Sorry for my bad English."

apology for poor english

when were you when john lenin dies?

i was sat at home eating [ ] butter when pjotr ring

‘john is kill’

‘no’

The poorly written text posts entered the 4chan Hall of Fame through screenshots, archived pages, and incessant quoting. Images of the posts floated around the internet on sites like Reddit and FunnyJunk for weeks before different versions of the meme emerged online.

How Did The 'John Is Kill' Meme Spread?

People began posting different versions of the copypasta in the YouTube comments section of EDM artist Skrillex, all featuring people describing the devastating experience of learning that the artist "passed away" with the emotional maturity of an iPad baby.

Other fans of the viral meme made videos doing dramatic readings of it, as seen in a post by YouTuber TheStolken.

What Did 'Club Penguin Is Kil' Come From?

When it was announced that the beloved children's multiplayer gaming site Club Penguin was shutting down in 2019, a screenshot of someone eulogizing the site using the format became a viral meme.

apolgy for bad english

where were u wen club penguin die

i was at house eating dorito when phone ring

"Club penguin is kil"

"no"

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For the full history of "John Is Kill," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.