RIP in Peace

2007catchphraseclassic

Published September 26, 2026

"RIP in Peace" is an internet catchphrase noted for its built-in redundancy, since the acronym "RIP" already stands for "rest in peace"4. The earliest known use appeared on a Newgrounds forum thread in May 2007 mourning Australian skateboarder Shane Cross1, and it grew into a running joke used both to sincerely commemorate the deceased and to mock the doubled wording itself.

catchphrase memesmisspelling memesforum era memesinternet slang origin memeslate 2000s memes

Overview

The joke sits inside a linguistic quirk called RAS syndrome, or redundant acronym syndrome syndrome, where an acronym is repeated alongside a word it already contains, like "ATM machine" or "PIN number"4. In forum culture, "RIP in Peace" is deployed two ways: sincerely by posters who do not notice the doubled word, and ironically by everyone else piling on the joke3. It shows up most often in threads mourning celebrities, in reaction to internet death hoaxes, and after character wipes in gaming communities such as Path of Exile6.

The phrase also works as a mocking stand-in for hollow forum condolences. When posters treat every celebrity passing as an excuse to spam three-letter tributes, "RIP in Peace" reads as a satirical exaggeration of that habit, which is why users started openly asking why the phrase kept appearing8.

Origin & Background

Platform
Newgrounds Forums
Date
2007

The earliest documented use of the phrase came on May 12, 2007, when Newgrounds forum member Glue-Sniffer posted a thread titled "RIP in Peace Shane Cross," lamenting the death of the Australian professional skateboarder1. The exact phrasing became linked with skate and gaming communities online, though some forum users later credited the teen blogging platform Piczo, specifically a "RIP Grandad" tribute page, as an even earlier home for the construction3.

How It Spread

On October 24, 2007, Urban Dictionary user purple_february submitted a definition explicitly framing "R.I.P. in peace" as internet forum slang7. A year later, on September 27, 2008, GRcade Forums member Peter Crisp opened a thread asking why other posters kept tacking "in peace" onto the abbreviation, and replies confirmed it was an established habit across message boards8.

The phrase spilled onto YouTube on December 18, 2011, when uploader KernelGaddafi posted a video titled "RIP in peace" featuring a photo of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il paired with a hoax slide misidentifying him as actor Jackie Chan3. Path of Exile Forums member DavosTheOnionKnight opened a March 7, 2013 thread questioning the phrasing, showing the joke was still active in gaming spaces years after the Newgrounds post6.

On February 1, 2014, YouTuber Mjau uploaded "RIP in peace, bro," a testimonial to Gordon Hurd5. The same day, the clip landed on the /r/nl_Kripparrian subreddit, where it pulled in more than 380 upvotes and 40 comments over the following two months2.

How to Use This Meme

To use "RIP in Peace," typically append the redundant construction to the name of the deceased. Common conventions include pairing it with an image of the person, an obviously fake death hoax slide, or a screenshot of a lost video game character or account3.

Frequently Asked Questions