Narayana Johnson, the audio director for Massive Monster, has died. His death was announced via a statement shared to the Cult of the Lamb social media pages on April 3.
More commonly known as River Boy, Johnson most famously composed the soundtrack of Cult of the Lamb alongside voicing every Follower within the game. He was also known for being one half of Willow Beats, and producing the music for Unicycle Giraffe—another game from Massive Monster.
In a statement posted to social media, Cult of the Lamb shared a message from the team at Massive Monster: “It’s with heavy and broken hearts we have to announce that Narayana Johnson, AKA River Boy, has passed away. It’s impossible to describe how much of a void he is leaving at Massive Monster, and how much his absence will be felt. He was more than our Audio Director; he was a creative powerhouse, he was a friend, and he was our silly little guy.
“From the first note of music to the voice of every single Follower, Narayana is woven into the soul of Cult of the Lamb. The game and the studio wouldn’t be what it is, and won’t be the same, without him. Narayana would want you to take a moment to look at nature, to touch your feet to the earth. He would want you to listen to his music and remember how much it meant to him to share it with you all.”
Massive Monster ended the statement with “The team needs some space and some kindness in this difficult time. We’re a small team, and we’re all feeling the loss. Thank you for understanding. Narayana we are going to miss you so, so much.”
The death of Johnson is also being felt among the Cult of the Lamb community in response to Massive Monster’s statement, with hundreds of replies across social media sharing their condolences with Massive Monster and celebrating the work and talents of River Boy. Fans of Cult of the Lamb, and the work of Narayana Johnson in general, have been quick to share their tributes with one another in the replies.
I’ve been singing the praises of Cult of the Lamb since its release in 2022, and having spent an immeasurable amount of time listening to the soundtrack outside of playing (so much so it’s ended up in my Spotify Wrapped for the last two years) it’s not hard to appreciate just how talented Johnson was. His death will be a significant loss for anyone who loved Cult of the Lamb, alongside his other successful projects like Willowbeats, but at least we have such a fantastic amount of work to remember him by.
