He died in a kit because his reserve fuel valve handle had fallen off and he replaced it with a pair of vice grips.
They fell off when he tried to turn on reserve and he couldn’t retrieve them.
RIP indeed.
IIRC, he had been doing aerobatics all afternoon, and decided to take off for home late in the afternoon. His plane had two fuel tanks, which were manually switched. The fuel tanks and valves were located behind the pilot’s shoulders. He had unknowingly exhausted the selected fuel tank as he began his take off roll. He did not have time to switch tanks before he crashed. In the worst of all worlds scenario he had half a load of fuel right behind the pilot as he crashed. He never stood a chance.