As we continue to countdown the biggest poker stories of 2014, let us not forget that poker is a game played by mortals. Poker players are first and foremost people: fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, colleagues and friends.

With this in mind I’d like to pay homage to eight men and women who passed in 2014, and whose lives were intricately woven into the fabric of the poker world.

Mehmet Hassan 1958-2014

Mehmet Hassan, just 56 years old, was a well-known and well-liked cash game player from the UK who was the victim of a vicious robbery, orchestrated by the charms of a young woman. Hassan’s death is a tragic story, but one many poker players should take heed of.