It all started with a tweet on Sept 13 saying he was afraid he would not be able to play the latest release of his favourite game, Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Thanks to the gaming community online and video game company Nintendo, cancer patient Chris Taylor from Ontario, Canada, got his wish on Sept 21, but died aged 21 on Tuesday (Sept 25).

His brother Zach shared the news of his death on Internet forum Reddit, writing: "I hope Chris' memory lives on through all of us when we game."

The late Mr Taylor had tweeted on Sept 13: "I'm really scared I won't be able to play Ultimate." Diagnosed with bone cancer and having stopped treatment in July this year, he added that December was "a long way away for someone who is already bedridden".

He also said on Twitter: "I know it's childish to despair over a video game but Smash means a lot to me and when Ultimate looks so good it breaks my heart."

His initial tweet went viral with more than 3,300 retweets and 9,000 likes, with many urging Nintendo to grant Mr Taylor's wish.

It finally happened on Sept 21, when two Nintendo representatives arrived at his home with a demo of the game.

The late Mr Taylor said on Twitter: "I got to play it for three hours with a local friend, my brother and my mum :) Thanks to everyone who did this for me, you're all the real champ (sic)."

Ultimate, to be released this December, is a fighting game featuring many iconic characters, and is the fifth instalment of the Super Smash Bros series.