Originally published on thesatanicwarlock.com.
The Black Guard lost one of its finest, The Satanic Warlock of the Year LIII A.S. (2018 CE), Magister Les Hernandez. Les has been battling small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma for the past year, and in January 2019 he was told by his doctor that there was nothing more medical science could do to stop the cancer. Magister Bloodfire died on the morning of February 19th, LIV A.S. (2019 CE).
Magister Bloodfire was the very definition of what it means to be a Satanic Warlock. His reputation was initially built as a nightclub manager and promoter, but it was cemented into infamy as a musician in The Catalogs, Crawling Chaos and The Quintessentials, which recently released their 6th album. His mastery did not begin and end as a musician however, but rather was influenced and enriched by his religion and identity as a Satanist.
Magister Bloodfire was the founder and Grotto Master of the Bloodfire Grotto. He published Satanic wit and wisdom through his now out-of-print Bloodfire Magazine which has been re-released as the Bloodfire Compendium, remaining in print to this day. He was featured frequently in interviews about himself, Satanism, Satanic Greater Magic, and his musical career that spanned more than 20 years.
When he was diagnosed in April LIII A.S., he was determined to fight with all of the energy and resources at his disposal. He fought admirable with bravery in the face of death, levity for the sake of those around him, and determination to do all he could to beat his cancer. When he was informed that there was nothing that could stop it, he dug to fight for the final weeks he had left.
Magister Bloodfire had no illusions — he knew what was inevitably coming, but he refused to go silently into the night, cowering his head, and shrouded in sorrow. Instead he celebrated with all the vital energy he could muster and left a legacy of victory in his wake.
We should not wallow in sorrow from his passing, but instead celebrate the carnal mastery of life he lived. He was his own god in life, and he is living eternally in our collective memory. Raise your glass and recognize your Infernal comrade:
Life Everlasting—World Without End!
Hail Magister Les Hernandez!
Hail Satan!
-Reverend Campbell