Famous YouTube Stars Who Sadly Died Far Too Young

YouTube is arguably social media's most intimate platform. The sheer quantity of time we spend with our favorite YouTubers, often ten minutes a stretch, has a quality of its own. We often end up feeling like we know them. No matter how big they may get, the potential millions of dollars they might make, or even the sometimes headline-making feuds they might get involved in, unlike some of Hollywood's brightest stars, YouTubers aren't locked away in glamorously appointed Instagram mosaics or hiding behind face-altering filters. Nor are they known to rage-Tweet at followers with a fiery political vengeance.

For the most part, YouTube stars show us their true selves, flaws and all — often in high-definition. They let us in on their process ... occasionally at painful length. Basically, our favorite YouTubers are not idols or even considered to be hashtag goals: they're our friends. And when a friend dies, the feeling of loss is immense. These famous YouTube stars were friends to millions and were gone far too soon and far too young.

Brooklyn-born Etika (real name Desmond Amofah) was a hugely charismatic YouTube gamer best known for his love of Nintendo. He might've also been YouTube's most fit professional sitter, as evidenced whenever he comically ripped his shirt off for livestream fans. Etika also boasted what was arguably YouTube's best flattop hair and the most charmingly over-the-top nerdgasm reactions to game announcements on his favorite retro platform.

In late June 2019, Etika's New York State driver's license, cell phone, and clothing were found on the Manhattan Bridge. The YouTuber had vanished after leaving behind a cryptic video missive, saying in the since-deleted clip, "I hope that my story maybe helps to make YouTube a better place in the future where people know boundaries and limits and how far things should go." Etika went on to express deep guilt in the nearly eight-minute monologue. His body was later found in the East River, and authorities eventually ruled his death  suicide by drowning, per the New York Post. He was just 29 years old. 

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Talking Kitty Cat creator Steve Cash had a simple idea: talking cats are funny. In 2008, Cash first cast his kitten, Sylvester, as a grumpy roommate, and did all the voiceovers himself. The result was a viral video with 10 million views — and thus, a YouTube sensation was born. Cash's channel eventually grew to over 2.5 million subscribers as he added other feline friends to the series, each perfectly capturing the quiet menace of your house cat's expressions that say both: "I love you," and, "I will absolutely hunt you down." 

In April 2020, fans woke up to a startling Facebook message from Cash's wife, Celia DeCosta, which read in part, "This is so hard ... I just lost my best friend, my sidekick, my lover, my mentor, my absolute everything ... I'm so sad to say, my husband, Steve Cash took his own life this morning." He was 40. Idaho police had responded to an early morning call at their home and found Cash dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to People. Per E! News, Cash had opened up about his mental health the previous September, describing himself as bipolar in response to a fan and noting ominously, "I'm on a manic up right now. When I go back into depression I'll vacate everything [on social media]."

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Christina Grimmie became a star on The Voice, but it was on YouTube that the singer first found her range. Beginning in 2009, Grimmie dabbled in a bit of everything from piano covers of Jason Mraz songs to some very pre-TikTok lip-syncing to blowout tutorials with her patented punk rock pompadour. But it wasn't really until her powerful Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball" audition on The Voice in 2015 that her channel blew up to nearly four million subscribers. Grimmie went on to take third place in the contest and immediately upgraded her YouTube presence from DIY to dynamic. 

However, tragedy struck in June 2016 following a performance in Orlando, Fla. After the show, Grimmie was signing autographs for fans, when a 27-year-old man later identified as Kevin Loibl approached her, and the music star — as was her habit — opened her arms to embrace him. He then shot Grimmie to death, before her brother tackled him to the ground. Per CNN, the killer was described by coworkers as being "socially awkward" and "detached," as well as having an "unrealistic infatuation with Christina Grimmie," following her social media intently and watching hours upon hours of her YouTube performances. After the murder, Loibl took his own life, according to TMZ.

Grimmie was 22 at the time of her death. Her family, friends, and fans have continued to hold an annual Gala hosted by the Christina Grimmie Foundation, which supports families devastated by gun violence.

Gregg Plitt was a West Point Graduate, a former Army Ranger, and, of course, absolutely jacked to the gills. This YouTuber was dude-bro body goals in every respect, so much so that he landed a cover shoot for Men's Health in 2014, and eventually joined the Bravo show, Work Out. Plitt also turned his gains into subscribers with motivational YouTube montages, setting the stage for his larger life-coaching/personal fitness empire. Unlike other self-improvement fitness channels, Plitt's YouTube-style was more about setting an inspiring example than getting into the nitty-gritty of his actual routines or diets.

In January 2015, the handsome vlogger was shooting without a permit in Burbank, Calif. while running on train tracks, when he was tragically struck and killed by a passenger locomotive. A spokesman for the rail service called the death "very preventable," as unreleased footage from a surveillance cam mounted atop the oncoming train captured the entire accident. "The conductor can see somebody on the tracks a distance away," Burbank police officer Joshua Kendrick told the Associated Press (via The Washington Post). The conductor hit the breaks and laid on the horn, but he added, "For one reason or another, unfortunately, Mr. Plitt did not get off the tracks." 

However, according to sources cited by TMZ, Plitt was actually intentionally racing the train while filming an ad for a sports drink and was only struck when he tripped and fell onto the tracks. Plitt was 37.

LBGTQ influencer Tai Couture, born Tyree Williams, built a modest channel he called a "church" by giving off-the-cuff takes on everything from Jussie Smollett to his own ordinary relationship struggles. Williams was always transparent with his small but dedicated subscriber base, and not just because most of his wardrobe was mesh.

In August 2018, Williams revealed that the demise of his long-term relationship was related to his battles with depression and suicidal ideation. The YouTuber also spoke at length about his struggles after being involved in a serious car accident in 2015, which left him in critical condition and briefly unable to walk. He was not at fault, but admitted that the "emotional torment" of a long recovery, which included four further hospitalizations from complications, took a serious toll on his mental health. 

After the news of a 15-year-old boy dying by suicide after being bullied for being gay broke the following year. Williams shared a Facebook post about the tragedy, which revealed his own suicide attempt, writing in part, "Although bullying wasn't my trigger I know firsthand how it feels to be desperate for the hurt to end." Queerty reports that Williams took his own life seven months later. In classic Tai Couture style, his family shared a video of his funeral, which felt more like a celebration of his life. 

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.