Who was Narayana Johnson aka River Boy? Tributes pour in as the ‘Cult of the Lamb’ community mourns the loss of ‘creative powerhouse’ 

Narayana Johnson, best known as the audio director and producer of the indie video game Cult of the Lamb, passed away earlier this week. Massive Monster, the developer behind the game, announced the news on April 3, 2025, via an Instagram post and shared their tribute.

“It’s with heavy and broken hearts we have to announce that Narayana Johnson AKA River Boy has passed away. It’s impossible to describe how much of a void he is leaving at Massive Monster, and how much his absence will be felt,” the post read.

The statement called Johnson “more than our Audio director,” adding he was a “creative powerhouse” as well as their “friend” and “silly little guy.”

Narayana, who is a Melbourne-based musician and games composer and went by the nickname River Boy, was involved in the “first note of music to the voice of every single Follower,” in Cult of the Lamb, as per the post, and is “woven into the soul” of the game.

“The game and the studio wouldn’t be what it is, and won’t be the same, without him. Narayana would want you to take a moment to look at nature, to touch your feet to the earth. He would want you to listen to his music and remember how much it meant to him to share it with you all,” the statement continued.

Massive Monster concluded by urging fans to offer them some “space” and “kindness” to cope with the “difficult time.” They mentioned being a “small team” who were “all feeling the loss” and thanked everyone for their understanding. The studio signed off by sharing they were going to "miss" Narayana Johnson "so, so, much."

Several fans of the Cult of the Lamb community mourned the demise of River Boy and shared their tributes under this post.

Tributes pour in for River Boy. (Image via Instagram)

Tributes pour in for River Boy. (Image via Instagram)

Tributes pour in for Narayana Johnson. (Image via Instagram)

tributes pour in for Narayana Johnson. (Image via Instagram)

---

All you need to know about Narayana Johnson

Narayana Johnson was an Australian composer, electronic music producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for electronic, beats, and R&B. Raised in Northern Rivers, New South Wales, nature often inspired his music. He was part of the duo, Willow Beats, performing at major festivals like Splendour in the Grass and supporting artists like Flume and Tash Sultana.

River Boy was Johnson’s persona for his eponymous solo project and had him release songs like I Never Knew. According to his website, Narayana composed, produced, and implemented the music of Cult of the Lamb (2022), such as the tracks Start a Cult, Praise the Boy, and Faith Up.

He worked as an audio director with Massive Monster, serving as a voice artist for the game and used SFX. River Boy further composed music for the Massive Monster game, Unicycle Giraffe.

Narayana Johnson reimagined, produced, and recorded a modern-day version of the 1974 song Home Among the Gumtrees and called it Koala. He collaborated with Yorta Yorta, a DjaDja Wurrung artist for DRMNGNOW.

---

In the aftermath of his demise, Willow Beats also posted a tribute on their Instagram page, mentioning that the news brought them “profound sadness and disbelief.” The post claimed the team was in “shock” and was “trying to process the immense loss.”

The statement shared how the family and community were “heartbroken” and asked for “privacy” to deal with “devastating grief.” They concluded by thanking everyone for their love, understanding, and support.