Barstool Sports employee Iga Obrycka suddenly passed away at the age of 28. Her death was confirmed by the company’s founder Dave Portnoy.
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According to her obituary, the Barstool Nashville general manager died on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The cause of death was not revealed. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Portnoy opened up about the work that Obrycka did while employed by Barstool Sports.
“Iga basically ran our Bar group for us,” Portnoy wrote. “If you ever went to Barstool Nashville you probably saw her there. I would have hired her for any position she wanted at our company because she was that smart and driven. Just incredibly sad news and another cruel reminder not to take a minute for granted. RIP Iga.”
Along with her work at Barstool Sports, Obrycka was the chief marketing officer at Stanton & Bowery Hospitality group.
Born in Poland, she came to the U.S. in the early 200s and was raised in New York City. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2020. She opened Barstool Nashville in 2023.
In a special tribute, Barstool Nashville shared on Instagram, “We lost the leader, heart, and soul of Barstool Nashville, Iga Obrycka. Our heart goes out to her family, those that she was born into, and those of us she chose to be in her life. There will never be another like her, and she will be with us always.”
Obrycka was also described as the “lamp of kindness and generosity,” and her “sudden passing created a deep empty space in every soul with whom she came in contact.”
“At the right time, we will hold a celebration of life that we hope she’ll look down on and smile, and you are all welcome,” the post further read. “Rest easy Iga. Your memory will live on forever.”
Barstool Sports Mourned the Loss of Producer Jonathan Stanko In Early Weeks Before Iga Obrycka’s Death
Weeks before Iga Obrycka unexpectedly passed away, Barstool mourned the loss of producer Jonathan Stanko, who died amid his battle with stage four stomach cancer. He was 32 years old at the time.
Portnoy took to X to announce Stanko’s passing. “Really sad news from the world of Barstool,” he wrote. “We lost Jonathan Stanko to cancer yesterday morning. He was 32 years old and leaves behind a wife. He worked in our NY offices for close to 4 years and was well liked by literally everybody he worked with. (Very rare at Barstool).”
He then stated that it was the first time that Barstool had to deal with something “this heavy.”
“A cruel reminder not to take a day for granted because tomorrow isn’t promised to anybody,” he wrote, then used the hashtag #stankostrong.
Stanko is survived by his wife, Emma, whom he married this past summer.