Widely considered an icon and trailblazer, hash-making legend Frenchy Cannoli died unexpectedly due to complications from surgery on July 18. He was 64.

A California-based teacher, consultant, artisan, and activist dedicated to the production and appreciation of traditional cannabis concentrates. Born in Nice, France on December 13, 1956, Cannoli traveled the world in order to learn how to make hash.

After years of world travel to learn the art of hash, he developed a level of expertise and a worldwide reputation as a master hash maker.

Before his death, he worked on hash-grading standards; created a docu-series about the effects of legalization on cannabis operators; and a book about the history of concentrates.

Rachelle Gordon, a cannabis and psychedelics journalist, said he was an “icon, legend, and trailblazer.” She went on to describe him as, “a beautiful soul. Despite his enormous popularity, he always made you feel like you were the only one in the room.” He had so much influence in the world of concentrates that it would be no surprise to see Cannoli’s face imprinted on concentrate containers in honor of his life’s work, following his passing.

His biography states that Cannoli lived nomadically for over twenty years — moving from Morocco to Mexico, to Nepal, Pakistan, and India — staying with traditional hash producers and learning techniques handed down over generations.

He later settled with family in California, where early medical access marijuana laws let him go from hiding his life’s work to producing legal cannabis concentrates.

Cannoli generously shared his traditional processes with global audiences via The Lost Art of Hashish seminars on his YouTube channel.

“Our work is like making wine. […] We want to plant the seeds to inspire a whole generation of artisanal hashmakers,” Frenchy Cannoli said in a 2018 interview. “We strive to pass on the traditions that were given to us… and we are sure that […] students of our workshop are going to carry on the tradition and take it even further in the pursuit of perfection.”

The announcement was made by his wife, Kimberly, on social media on July 19th.

“I cannot begin to express how much meaning and joy his interactions with all of you brought him,” Kimberly said. “He truly cherished this unexpected evolution of the latter part of his life,” she wrote in reference to the cannabis community. Every interaction we had was so special and while he may be gone from this world, he will never be forgotten.”