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Today, we explore the heartbreaking instances where celebrated and beloved social media personalities across various platforms left us too soon. From pioneers in gaming and beauty to advocates for animal welfare and mental health, these individuals touched countless lives. Join us as we remember their legacies and the profound impact their untimely departures had on their communities and beyond.
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00:00It was on this Faribault farm, Mikayla Rains and Ethan Franckamp built a family and a following.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're examining the tragic times when celebrated and beloved
00:10social media influencers from various platforms lost their lives at a young age.
00:14I'll see you at the, uh, at the event. Peace.
00:19Emin Atienza, this Filipino-Taiwanese lifestyle social media influencer, also known as the
00:24Kanyo final boss for her confident English forward-speaking style, engaged and inspired
00:29fans across the globe. Atienza was open about her mental health struggles and often spoke about the
00:33importance of community and seeking support. When someone actually shows genuine signs of mental
00:39illness or certain disorders, people turn away from that. Devastatingly, at the age of 19, Atienza
00:44died by taking their own life. This tragic loss had an unspeakable impact on those who loved her
00:49and the fanbase she had built. She brought so much joy, laughter, and love into our lives
00:53and into the lives of everyone who knew her. In response to her passing and the broader
00:58conversations it sparked around online harassment, Filipino representative, Albi Benitez, filed
01:03proposed legislation bearing her name aimed at strengthening protections against cyberbullying.
01:08I am all for normalizing mental health, mental illness, and struggles with mental health.
01:12That needs to be normalized because it's something that everyone struggles with.
01:15Yeah. Okay. That's all. Bye.
01:17Tyler Wall.
01:17Over time, we're only going to decrease his calories, increase his activity, and up his
01:22cardio. So it's going to get harder with him as the video goes on. He is going to suffer.
01:26This is going to get harder for him. After having appeared only in one Mr. Beast video,
01:31lose 100 pounds, win $250,000, coach Tyler Wall made a big impact. Wall was enlisted to assist
01:37Maid Kader in losing a life-changing amount of weight in hopes of winning big money.
01:41What's up, boys?
01:42Coach was there day in and day out, helping him push the bar.
01:45Ahh!
01:47What's up, chat?
01:48How you doing?
01:49What up, big dawg?
01:49What a day, man. I'm almost done here.
01:51You're almost done.
01:52Holy shit!
01:53But shockingly, Wall passed away in the midst of filming the challenge, to the shock and
01:57dismay of the cast and crew. Though stunned, Maid elected to complete his pursuit of the
02:11weight loss in his honor. Wall was only 38 years old at the time of his death, and he
02:14continues to be remembered by the YouTube community.
02:17Maria Jose Estupiñan. Known to some online as La Mona, Estupiñan was a Colombian fashion,
02:22beauty, and self-care influencer with a significant following on TikTok. She was building a wonderful
02:27career for herself between her sale of products online and her modeling aspirations. But in
02:31an awful turn of events, Estupiñan lost her life at age 22 in May of 2025. Her death was
02:37a homicide and took place outside of her home. Conversations surrounding the loss at Estupiñan
02:41have centered around the future protection of women in Latin America to prevent further
02:45senseless tragedies from taking place.
02:47Gloria Zamora.
02:48A fitness influencer is among three dead. Police say she was shot and killed by her estranged
02:54husband who also died in the shootings.
02:56In 2025, Zamora was in the process of changing her life. After over 15 years of dating her
03:01husband, Thomas Alberto Tamayo Lizarraga, she was in the process of divorcing him. Zamora
03:06had appeared on the Horizon podcast detailing allegations of Lizarraga's abusive behavior
03:11towards her family.
03:12I remember telling my parents, like my mom and my grandma, am I happy in this marriage?
03:16Like, he's cheating on me and this and that. And my grandma was like, mi modo, aguantate.
03:20Wow.
03:21I felt like I didn't have the support from them. Like, if my daughters was to tell me,
03:25mom, I'm cheating, I'm not happy, bring your ass back home.
03:28A couple of nights later, the fitness influencer met her business partner Hector Garduno at
03:32a restaurant in Fontana, California to discuss a new project. Yet, as Zamora and Garduno were
03:36in the parking lot afterward, Lizarraga appeared. He fatally shot the duo who were 40 and 43 years
03:41of age respectively. The sound of the attack alerted nearby off-duty deputies who confronted
03:45Lizarraga, resulting in his demise.
03:47It's a senseless loss of life. Gloria was the mother to several children. Hector also
03:52had several children as well, and now they're all without their parents.
03:55Yareli Ashley Hermosillo.
03:57They come in a set of two, so I also have the brown one. I love this color. Look how
04:03stretchy
04:03they are.
04:04Focusing on promoting Hispanic culture, especially its food, Hermosillo's delicious videos on
04:09Instagram and TikTok regularly attracted thousands of views and likes.
04:17Yet, by a random and thoughtless act by another, the Arizona-based influencer's legacy was cut
04:21short. In 2025, Hermosillo was driving late one night. However, another driver, Jesus Preciado
04:27Daustin, had let road rage consume him as he threatened another person with a firearm. After
04:31Daustin fired his weapon to intimidate the other driver, the stray bullet fatally struck
04:35Hermosillo, who was 27.
04:37Police say this man, Jesus Daustin, is responsible for shooting and killing popular
04:42social media influencer, Yareli Hermosillo.
04:45Daustin was arrested and charged with murder. A crowd funder was set up in Hermosillo's name
04:50for her family, which has raised over $18,000 at the time of writing.
04:54She was an innocent victim caught in the middle of a road rage incident between others, leaving
04:58her family and friends devastated.
05:01Mikayla Rains
05:01Oh my gosh! Hi foxes! You want me to come say hi?
05:07After becoming devoted to animal rehabilitation, especially with foxes, Rains created a non-profit
05:12Save a Fox Rescue. Armed with her YouTube channel and plenty of animal friends, such as Finnegan and
05:17Dixie, Rains became a viral sensation with her charming videos that highlighted her critters and
05:21combated the fur farm trade. However, in 2025, Rains' husband, Ethan Frankkamp, released a sad video
05:26where he detailed that the animal activist had passed away at the age of 30.
05:30And if you are feeling lost and hopeless, please reach out to someone, whether it's friends and
05:36family or calling a hotline. And to everyone else, please, please keep an eye on those around you.
05:46Look for the signs because they are there.
05:48He stated that on top of struggling with mental health issues, Rains was subjected to
05:52online harassment. This tragedy led to heavy criticism against Reddit's snark subreddits,
05:57where users criticized celebrities, often female influencers. One that targeted Rains was
06:01reportedly scrubbed in the aftermath. If the people that did this can have the time to
06:06self-reflect on what they've said, and what they've done, and how just a simple comment online
06:16can be such a personal thing to someone else that's reading it.
06:19Juliana Marins
06:20A Brazilian woman hiking a volcano in Indonesia has been found dead. Indonesian rescuers spent
06:26four days trying to reach 27-year-old Juliana Marins, who fell off the cliff while trekking
06:31the country's second-highest volcano. Born in Brazil, Marins decided to travel
06:35across Southeast Asia by herself, documenting her journey via her social media accounts. In 2025,
06:40she went on a hike up the active stratovolcano Mount Rinjani in Indonesia. However, Marins vanished
06:45during the trip, allegedly after the guided group she was with left her to rest. As part of the
06:49rescue effort, a drone was deployed which spotted Marins on the mountain. Alive, she'd fallen over
06:54900 feet down the path, causing several injuries. However, the rescuers were unable to get to Marins
06:58due to the terrain and weather conditions. Days later, by the time the authorities managed to reach her,
07:03Marins had sadly passed away at the age of 26.
07:05With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive.
07:09Sana Youssef
07:10Police in Pakistan have arrested a 22-year-old man that they say has confessed to the murder of a
07:17teenage social media influencer, Sana Youssef.
07:20A rising star in social media, teenager Youssef grew a half a million following with her work on
07:25social media, especially on Instagram, by promoting the Chitrali culture and empowering women and girls.
07:30Unfortunately, the Pakistani's fame brought the attention of Umar Hayat. Reportedly,
07:34he'd tried to propose a friendship with Youssef, which he rejected several times. In 2025,
07:39Hayat armed with a firearm broke into her home and fatally shot Youssef.
07:42Hayat was soon tracked down by the police and charged with murder. The event sent shockwaves
07:46through the country's population of women who feared for their safety.
07:55As such, protests were sparked against gender-based violent crimes as groups called
07:59for stricter measures against perpetrators.
08:01This was the influencer's final video. You can see Sana cutting a cake and celebrating with friends.
08:08Valeria Marquez
08:09Not only was Marquez a model and beauty influencer, but she was also the owner of
08:15a beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. In 2025, she was livestreaming on TikTok at her salon.
08:20During it, Marquez stated her fear of two men who were looking for her at her business before she
08:24turned up. As the stream continued, seemingly, the men arrived again and confirmed Marquez's
08:29identity before handing her gifts. Then, they fatally shoot the 23-year-old.
08:32Valeria Marquez, a beauty influencer in Mexico, shot dead while streaming live on TikTok. She was just
08:3923 years old. Due to the actions of the killers and the area, it was believed a local cartel had
08:45placed
08:45a hit on Marquez. A month later, the U.S. sanctioned the cartel, including Ricardo Ruiz Velasco,
08:50who was allegedly dating Marquez and was suspected of instigating her murder.
08:54It would be the last video for Marquez, a rising online star in Mexico,
08:58with nearly 200,000 followers between Instagram and TikTok.
09:02Stephanie Piper
09:02From Austria, Piper was a makeup artist and beauty influencer with thousands of followers,
09:06who drew concerns from colleagues when she failed to appear for a photoshoot in 2025.
09:10The 31-year-old was last seen attending a Christmas party a couple of days before. The
09:14authorities quickly pursued her ex-partner, identified as Peter M. Originally from Slovenia,
09:19he was arrested near the country's border as the search for Piper was ongoing. The police then
09:23scoured the woods near Peter's family in Slovenia, but they found nothing. Reportedly,
09:27after Peter was extradited to Austria, he confessed to having killed Piper and provided directions to
09:31a Slovenian forest, where he'd hidden her remains within his suitcase. Technoblade
09:36Technoblade, where have you been all this time? Well, you see, I've been farming potatoes in Skyblock.
09:42That wasn't a joke. Beginning his YouTube career as a teenager in 2013,
09:46Technoblade, with a focus on Minecraft, became a celebrated figure in the gaming community,
09:51earning millions of subscribers. However, in 2021, the charismatic content creator released a video
09:55stating that he'd been diagnosed with cancer and was receiving treatment. During this time,
09:59Technoblade helped raise hundreds of thousands for cancer charities. In 2022,
10:03fans were devastated when his channel released the video titled So Long, Nerds. It featured
10:08Technoblade's father reading out a statement from his son several hours before he passed away at the
10:13age of 23. If I had another hundred lives, I think I would choose to be Technoblade again every single
10:18time, as those were the happiest years of my life. In 2025, a Minecraft movie paid tribute to Technoblade
10:24by including a crowned pig, similar to his YouTube icon, who was described as a legend by Jack Black.
10:29No. That's a legend. Etika.
10:34What's going on guys? Etika from the Etika World Network here.
10:37After modeling and rapping, Desmond Amofa, better known as Etika, began his rise to YouTube
10:42stardom in 2012. Primarily focused on gaming, especially with Nintendo products, he brought in
10:47over a million subscribers across multiple channels with his infectious enthusiasm. However, Etika
10:52struggled with his mental health, causing YouTube to terminate multiple channels following worrying
10:56statements and problematic behavior. In 2019, his fans were concerned when Etika released an
11:00apology video as he walked around New York City, mentioning his struggles with mental health and
11:05social media. Police pulled the body of Desmond Amofa, better known as Etika, from the East River
11:09yesterday. They found him near the South Street Seaport. The 29-year-old went missing last week after
11:14posting a video apologizing to people he says he let down and saying it was a fun life. Upon vanishing
11:20and
11:21police getting involved, a search located Etika's belongings near the Manhattan Bridge, soon after
11:25the 29-year-old's body was found near the East River. We mourn the loss of Etika, a beloved member
11:30of our gaming creator community. All of us at YouTube are sending condolences to his loved ones and fans.
11:36Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about
11:41our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on
11:46your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications. Talia Castellano.
11:53Hi everyone, so today I'm doing my favorite. I'm finally not like four months late, like I'm so excited.
12:00From a young age, Castellano was diagnosed with cancer. Yet despite that and enduring the side
12:04effects of treatment, she became a smash hit online as she created makeup tutorials on YouTube with
12:09uplifting advice from 2011. This incredible resilience led Castellano to appear on the Ellen
12:13Degeneres show, where she was confirmed as an honorary face for CoverGirl Cosmetics.
12:17A little fishy told me, just keep swimming, just keep swimming. However, following the cancerous
12:23progression, the Florida teenager sadly passed away in 2013. Shortly after, Castellano's family posted
12:29on social media photos of the bucket list she created, which had 74 events she wanted to experience.
12:34Supporters of Castellano rallied around the family and her memory to help complete the list,
12:38sharing their experiences online. Do you have any memories of the incredible influencers we've
12:55mentioned in the video? Let us know below.
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