Known for traveling the world in search of exotic strains, rare pollen, and forgotten landrace genes, cannabis legend Franco Loja passed away yesterday, January 2, 2017.

A globetrotting collector from Italy, Franco contracted a cerebral form of malaria that proved to be fatal. The manager of Green House Seed Company and partner of Arjan Roskam, Franco Loja was the Master Cultivator & Head Breeder for the Amsterdam-based seed company. According to the Green House Seed Company public Facebook page, Franco Loja was visiting the Congo to provide aid to victims of malaria when he suffered an attack of the deadly mosquito-borne illness.

From the most remote corners of the African continent to the highest peaks in India, Franco and his team of inquisitive cannabis connoisseurs scoured the globe in search of long-forgotten strains.

Photo Courtesy of Green House Seeds

First germinated in 1985, Green House Seed Company rapidly became the go-to seed company for many of today’s best breeders. Dubbed the “Kings of Cannabis” by Vice TV, Arjan Roskam and Franco Loja were instrumental in the cultivation of many of today’s most sought-after strains.

Famous for crossbreeding mythical strains with flavorful terpenes to other high-yielding genetics, Franco has been memorialized on the homepage of the Green House Seed Company website.

Credited with helping hundreds of other growers win the lofty HTCC, Franco’s extended family expressed their condolences on his Facebook page. Though deceased, Franco’s legacy will live on in some of today’s best strains.