If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: TikTok, the short-form video hosting platform, has become immensely popular in the past few years, especially with the trends, catchy tunes, sounds for lip-syncs, and duet videos, creating a league all its own. While there is no surprise that some creators have found massive success on the platform, we cannot overlook the obvious pressure that looms over several TikTok creators or the problems of their private lives.
TikTok users often get attached to their favorite creators, but sadly some of them have lost their lives due to various reasons, leaving their fans deeply shocked. Let's look at five TikTok stars who died at a young age in 2023.
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5 TikTokers who died young in 2023
1. Jehane Thomas
30-year-old TikTok star Jehane Thomas died in March after suffering crippling migraines for several months. The English TikTok sensation's sudden death on March 17 left her fans in shock. Jehane died just a few days after posting a picture of herself smiling with her sons, three-year-old Isaac Thomas and one-year-old Elijah Thomas. In the past, she has uploaded many videos detailing her hospital stays and struggles related to her crippling migraines, which she said were due to being diagnosed with optic neuritis. Jehane had around 82,000 followers on TikTok before her death.
2. Harrison Gilks
18-year-old Harrison Gilks, who rose to TikTok stardom with his viral “bucket list,” died of rare cancer on March 30. The Canadian content creator was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare, usually pediatric cancer that impacts soft tissue, in November 2020, according to CBC. Gilks boasted more than 320,000 followers on TikTok through his numerous experiences and travels, and in his final months fulfilled some of his "bucket list" dreams, which included flying over the Canadian mountain town of Jasper and meeting elite athletes in Florida, to name a few.
3. Bobby Moudy
The popular TikTok dad, Bobby Moudy, died by suicide on April 28 at the age of 46. The father of three often posted videos of his family's hijinks on TikTok, where he had more than 350,000 followers. Moudy’s suicide resulted from financial burdens that weighed heavily on his shoulders, as per People. Apart from TikTok, Moudy had a successful career in sales and was enthusiastic about outdoor activities.
4. Taylor aka Waffler69
From fried grasshoppers to tinned beef tripe, Taylor aka Waffler69 recorded himself happily trying everything. He gained a whopping 1.7 million TikTok fans with his intriguing videos. According to his brother, Clayton, the 33-year-old died on January 11 from a "presumed heart attack." The Louisiana resident has been producing videos for the last sixteen years.
5. Kara Santorelli
Kara Santorelli, a TikTok star, met with a car accident in Escambia County, Florida on March 17 while driving down Highway 29. Even more shocking to her fans was that the teen social media star's death came just days after she told her fans she had never been in an accident and that most car accidents take place due to the reckless behavior of drivers. On TikTok, where she had around 50,000 followers, she frequently uploaded videos letting her fans know about her life updates.