Australia’s most famous Twitter satirist Leslie Nassar dies of hit-and-run

Australian satirist Leslie Nassar, 43, was killed by a 20-year-old man on Saturday morning around 7:30 a.m. in Nampa, Idaho, US. Nassar's daughters were both injured in the hit-and-run crash.

Police identified the suspect as Tristan Donovan Myers, who was charged in relation to the killing. Police told kbtv.com that they received a suspicious phone call that led them to Myers. Myers admitted that he hit the victim and he fled the scene. The police suspected that alcohol intoxication was the reason for the crash. Myers has been held in the Canyon County Jail for further investigations.

Nassar made a name in the Twitter world in 2009 when he used the Twitter account Fake Stephen Conroy. It was his impersonation for the retired Labor senator. He had also been part of the development of ABC's Q&A program's live Twitter feed.

"Leslie Nassar was an engineering genius," Peter McEvoy, Q&A 's executive producer posted on his Twitter account. "It breaks my heart to think of all the brilliant ideas that will never be realised without his talent."

Nassar's satirical columns and memes in Crickey has been shared once again on social media as a tribute to Australia's most famous Twitter satirist. Friends and colleagues also expressed their feelings to the late satirist.

"In private he was a gentle, compassionate soul with a fierce love for his family and loyalty to his friends, while at work he was a passionate and creative genius, dedicated to using new technologies in weird and wonderful new ways that seemed impossible until Leslie made them a reality with an understated aplomb," Andrea Horton, the co-founder of Wrangling Cats and Nassar's business partner, said in a statement.

"He was also a savage satirist, driven by a desire to see the powerful held to account, and for justice to prevail. He truly wanted to use digital innovation to make the world a better place."