One Gashead, when contacted by Bristol Live, was too distraught to put his name to a comment but simply responded, "it's like seeing Bruce Wayne instead of Batman" when faced with the picture which has rocked the fanbase this week.
It's been nearly three years since Stuart Sinclair last donned a blue and white jersey but his legend very much remains within the consciousness of supporters. By his own admission, the midfielder wasn't the most gifted player but he more than made up for it in effort, endeavour and personality.
Over 162 appearances for Rovers, after signing from Salisbury City in 2014, he became a strong fan favourite with his tigerish and committed performances in the engine room as part of the squads that earned back-to-back promotions into League One.
What also stood out about Sinclair and, of course, helped create the legend was his magnificent beard; far beyond any other look in English football, the Gas Viking's trademark facial hair as dominant as one of his devastating tackles in the middle of the park.
After leaving Rovers, Sinclair was reunited with Darrell Clarke at Walsall where he made 47 appearances in League Two before his release at the Bescot Stadium last summer, with little known about his next steps.
However, images this week have surfaced online of Sinclair seemingly living in Canada and sporting a solitary moustache (albeit a very impressive soup strainer in itself), bereft of its gloriously bushy support network around the rest of his face.
As expected, the reaction has been mixed, with delight about seeing Sinclair again but also confusion and perhaps regret that this is a clear sign of one part of his life that is no more.
Another picture, seemingly dated in January shows an even more radical departure with Sinclair having shaved all of it off but clearly having now grown some of it back.
Max Alderson of the Gascast podcast said: "Sinclair shaving his beard feels like a watershed moment in football, marking the end of that era in Rovers history, one that will live on in folklore.
"That being said, 'Fear the Beard' is a mentality, and there is nothing more Stuart Sinclair than moving to the snowy Canadian wilds. May the beard live on as he chops down trees and goes ice fishing."
Colleague Tom Metcalfe, who once declared Sinclair his favourite ever Rovers player, added: "Sincs is looking great without the beard. I hope he's donated it to a museum out in Canada as the pinnacle of manliness. Both him and the beard are still Gas legends."
Those wishing to leave their tributes to Sinclair's beard can do so in the comments below...
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