The West Village gay bar Rockbar NYC is grieving the loss of Chris Haigy, the charismatic trivia night host who became a cornerstone of the bar’s weekly community gatherings.
Known affectionately as “Quiz Daddy,” Haigy passed away this month, leaving behind a community of regulars, friends, and strangers he had turned into teammates over years of hosting.
Rockbar shared the news on Instagram, writing that Haigy brought “laughter, community, and chaos in the best way” to the bar every week.
The post quickly filled with hundreds of comments from people across the country who had been touched by his warmth and personality.
Haigy was more than just a trivia host. By all accounts from those who knew him, he had a rare gift for making people feel genuinely welcome the moment they walked through the door.
Whether someone was a regular or showing up for the first time, he had a way of pulling them into the room and into the crowd. He turned a bar game into something that felt bigger than that. He turned it into a reason to show up.
Comments on the post poured in from as far as Seattle, where friends described their own grief upon hearing the news. “Chris was one of a kind. Seattle sends our love to everyone at Rockbar that loved Chris as much as we did,” wrote one commenter.
Others from the Seattle community echoed that sentiment, noting that many of them hoped to travel for any memorial services once arrangements were announced.
One commenter shared a personal memory of Haigy that painted a fuller picture of who he was outside of the bar. They had dated in high school, bonding over a shared love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and low-budget horror films.
Even after their relationship ended, Haigy stayed in touch, inviting them onto his horror podcast during the pandemic and regularly checking in over the years. “It makes me happy seeing all these loving comments,” they wrote.
The outpouring spoke to something that goes beyond the usual tributes. People were not just mourning a familiar face at a neighborhood bar. They were mourning someone who had genuinely shaped the culture of a community space and made it feel like home.
Performers and regulars from Rockbar also commented, remembering Haigy as someone who showed up for everyone who passed through.
“Always so supportive of everyone who came through Rockbar,” one person wrote. “We’ll always hold his friendship strong in our hearts.”
Rockbar said in their post that the bar will feel different without his voice on the microphone and without the energy he carried into the room week after week. They noted they would share information about memorial services as plans developed.
Chris Haigy was remembered by those who knew him as kind, funny, genuine, and deeply missed.
