TikTok Stars Who Have Sadly Passed Away

Trigger warning: This article contains details of suicide, domestic violence, and traumatic accidents. 

If you weren't a fan of the video-sharing app TikTok before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in 2020, chances are you made your way over to the app. In an era where we pretty much couldn't go outside or socialize with our friends, social media became even more prevalent in our lives than it already was — and that's saying a lot, given how much Instagram and Twitter have changed the nature of how we all communicate. But TikTok is different. With trends, catchy tunes and sounds, and duets and stitches, it's in a league all its own, so it's no surprise that some creators have found massive success on the platform.

Think of the D'Amelio girls, Addison Rae, Bella Poarch — these stars used TikTok to their advantage and have had massive success as a result. But sadly, some who've found fame on TikTok have since died. The app has seen the untimely departure of a number of its creators, some of whom have buckled to the pressures of social media or who were tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time. Here are TikTok stars who have sadly passed away.

TikTok is a platform that attracts dancers, trend setters, political figures, advocates, you name it. And among the creators who were voicing their opinions and desires for equality was Rochelle "Roe" Hager, a 31-year-old TikTok star who was known for capturing moments of her life, as well as pushing conversations about LGBTQ+ equality forward. As noted by People, Hager was tragically killed when a pine tree came crashing into her SUV. While she was driving through Farmington, Maine, the top of Hager's car smashed in when the tree fell, instantly killing her. At the time of the accident, she was on the phone with her fiancée, Brittanie Lynn Ritchie. 

"It happened really quick," Ritchie told Morning Sentinel of the accident and the conversation that was taking place at the time. "She has a phone mounted in her vent. I just heard a crash and then there was nothing. She didn't see the tree coming. It was instant." 

Ritchie eventually took to social media to address the horrific accident, thanking supporters for their "overwhelming support" on TikTok. "She wasn't in pain," Ritchie said. "She died instantly. I heard the crash and then there was nothing."

It's safe to say that the TikTok world was shocked when Anthony Barajas, an engaging TikTok star with almost 1 million followers, was shot and killed at a screening of "The Forever Purge" film. As noted by BuzzFeed News, Barajas and companion Rylee Goodrich were attending the movie when a 20-year-old man, Joseph Jimenez, entered the screening and shot them both. Barajas and Goodrich were 19 and 18, respectively. Goodrich died as a result of her injuries at the scene, while Barajas was hospitalized before ultimately dying.

Jimenez was taken into custody shortly thereafter, as police found a firearm at his home that was a match to the gun used in the shooting. He faced charges including murder, attempted murder, and robbery, and was held in jail on a $2 million bail. Of the senseless killing, the police involved said that, due to statements taken, the attack was "unprovoked." 

A GoFundMe page was set up to help Barajas' family pay for medical bills and other expenses. On the page, he was described as an "amazing brother, son, and friend." It also read, "Anthony was the light of so many [people's] lives and there are tough times ahead, but we have amazing family and friends to get through this."

TikTok is popular with people of all ages, but it certainly has a strong presence in the lives of Gen Z kids. Teenager Dazharia Shaffer was among the teens who took to the app for creativity and popularity. As noted by Women's Health, Shaffer tragically died at just 18 years old, with her father implying from a statement that the death was a suicide. The young social media star had 1.7 million followers on TikTok, and had amassed nearly 210,000 followers on Instagram.

"She was so happy, and would be so excited to see me when I come home from being on the road," he wrote on a GoFundMe page about Shaffer's death. "I only wish she would have spoken to me about her stress and the thoughts of suicide. We could work thru [sic] this." He later took to TikTok to share photos of his young daughter, and took the opportunity to thank those who followed her for their "love and support." Writing on GoFundMe that he "wasn't prepared" to "bury [his] child," Shaffer's father's grief was clearly on display. 

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

The world of social media and influencing looks to be all sunshine and rainbows, but it has a dark side that few talk about. Tragically, Brazilian influencer Eliane Ferreira Siolin fell into that side of social media. After she had shared a "revealing" post, according to some reports, her husband, Alejandro Antonio Aguilera Cantallupi, shot and killed her in January 2021. As noted by the New York Post, a police spokesperson, Analu Ferraz, revealed that the couple were known to fight "a lot, even in public." 

In the tragic turn of events, Siolin, 35, was shot 14 times and was killed in front of her young daughter while they were attending a family barbeque — her daughter was just 6. Cantallupi then turned the gun on himself and fatally shot himself once in the head. After this tragedy, the couple's young daughter was reportedly "taken in" by family members. Siolin had 84,000 followers on TikTok, and had amassed about 272,000 likes at the time of her death.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Stunts seem to be the name of the game for some creators. One such creator was Timothy Hall. Known by his online presence, Timbo the Redneck, the creator was just 18 years old when he was tragically killed in a driving stunt. As noted by the New York Daily News, Hall was at his friend's home in Florida, performing donuts — a vehicular act that involves " the driver whipping their vehicle in small circles while accelerating" — when Hall was thrown from the truck's driver side window. The truck crashed on top of him. 

Hall's future brother-in-law, Tony, took to YouTube to describe what had happened, and recalled the incident that took the young creator's life. "His whole body, that truck landed on top of him," Tony said. "He's passed away." Hall's mom, Tessie, also shared a video to the creator's TikTok page, making the news official to his followers. "My son was in a bad accident yesterday and didn't make it and I want to thank everybody for all the fans that he had," she said.

An aspect of social media that many of us enjoy is the connection that it brings. When creators invite us into their lives, we become pretty invested. Alexis Sharkey, a 26-year-old who took to TikTok and other social media platforms to share content from her travels and life experiences, was one such creator. Sharkey had amassed 87,000 followers on Instagram and had 84,000 followers and 1.3 million likes on TikTok. Tragically, Sharkey's body was found amongst brush on the side of the road in Houston, Texas, on November 28, 2020, and her murder — ruled as death by strangulation — has remained unsolved, as noted by ABC13. 

No one has been arrested in connection to the murder thus far, and criminal defense attorney Tom Berg said that prosecutors are taking their time to ensure that the right suspect is brought to justice. "Simply closing the case quickly is not necessarily justice. You might have the right person but you might not," Berg said. "There can be a lot of pressure to resolve a case quickly. In our society, we want quick resolutions because, in television, you can solve these cases in an hour or less even with commercial breaks." 

TikTok has allowed amazing dance trends, songs, and performances to go viral, and as such, it's harnessed some amazing creators along the way. Matima Miller, better known as Swavy, fell under this creator category, and had over 520,000 followers on Instagram and 3.7 million followers on TikTok as a result. The rising star tragically died in July 2021 after sustaining a gunshot wound, as reported by the New York Post. Miller was reportedly "gunned down in broad daylight" while in Wilmington, Delaware. The Wilmington Police Department announced at the time that the incident was under investigation, but that the victim had been identified as Miller.

Fans and friends alike took to social media to pay tribute to Miller, with YouTube creator Damaury "Kid Maury" Mikula posting an emotional video about the young star taken far too soon. "He got shot," Mikula said, as he wiped tears from his eyes. "All he did was make videos — vids, vids, vids, vids, going up, up, up, up." Elsewhere, fans took to Twitter to express their sadness over the creator's death, with one writing, "I know [you] changed [people's] lives by making them smile and I'm sorry this happened."

Social media, for all its perks, can be a difficult terrain to navigate. As young people are growing and becoming their own people, the pressures associated with social media can add pressure to an already difficult time. With that in mind, the death of TikTok star Siya Kakkar is that much more heartbreaking, as it was reported that she died by suicide. As noted by India Today, Kakkar was a well known TikTok star and dancer, and she had amassed over 1.1 million followers on the app. She gained additional attention from her presence on many social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, and to anyone looking from the outside in, Kakkar's star was only rising. 

But the young creator tragically took her own life at just 16 years old. Her manager, Arjun Sarin, told India Today that her death was "due to something personal," as her work and career were just taking off. "I had a word with her last night for a new project and she sounded normal," Sarin said. "Siya was a bright talent. I am heading to her home in Preet Vihar."

Some social media creators who have taken to TikTok as their primary platform have died in freak accidents, while others have been killed senselessly. Some have even put their lives on the line for content. Xiao Qiumei, a 23-year-old creator from China, was one such TikTok star, and she plummeted to her death while trying to record a video for her 100,000 followers. As noted by the New York Post, Qiumei became the second TikTok star in China to fall to their death while trying to film content. 

In the video, Qiumei was speaking to her camera while sitting in the cabin of a crane — she worked as a crane operator — only for the image to become blurry as equipment quickly moved in and out of frame. As it turns out, Mei fell 160 feet from the crane's cabin to her death, and eyewitnesses even testified that her phone was still in her hand when she died. As noted by the New York Post, followers flocked to Qiumei's social media because she didn't come across as the typical person to hold her kind of job. Mei reportedly had two children.

Every death is impactful, and every loss of life is difficult to overcome, but the details surrounding the passing of Ram, known as Black Girl Rahm, are truly devastating. As noted by The U.S. Sun, Ram was a 30-year-old creator with nearly 800,000 followers on Douyin, what's called the "Chinese version of TikTok." She gained her following thanks to her videos detailing life in Sichuan, China, and her sweet demeanor certainly didn't hurt her. 

But as noted by the Daily Star, things went tragically down hill for the creator. Ram was at home when her ex-husband reportedly barged in and began attacking her in front of members of her family. Things escalated, and the ex reportedly set Ram on fire, all while the incident was being streamed live. The horrific attack left Ram with burns that covered approximately 90% of her body, and as a result, she went into a coma. As noted by The U.S. Sun, Ram was in a coma for 16 days before she tragically died. Ram's ex-husband had a history of domestic violence, and after attacking the creator, he was arrested on suspicion of intentional homicide. Ram's death left two young sons without their mother and left a community grieving after such a horrific loss.

Social media platforms have the ability to bring communities of people together, and when tragedy strikes, it can hit well-connected people that much more significantly. One such death that rocked the makeup and beauty community on TikTok was that of Ethan Peters, known on social media as Ethan Is Supreme, as noted by BBC News. The creator was just 17 years old when he passed, and his father alluded to Peters' history with addiction as a contributing factor. 

To Fox News, Peters' father attested that his son was a "kind soul, who accepted everyone for who they were." As a result, Peters had attracted more than 500,000 followers, and was known for his eye-catching makeup designs and "dramatic," "emotional," and "gory" looks. Fellow influencer Ava Louise shared on Instagram that Peters was her "best friend in the entire world," and her feeling of loss was echoed by other makeup professionals that valued the young creator. Manny MUA, a very popular makeup artist, paid tribute to Peters as well, and while he didn't gloss over Peters' past indiscretions (Peters had been accused of transphobia and racism), Manny took the time to pay his respects.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

An aspect of TikTok that makes it a great platform at times is the way in which people can connect to other people and personalities. John Kelly, a TikTok creator and exuberant personality who oftentimes made videos with his son, was one such person. Sadly, he died at the age of 45 in a very sudden manner. As noted by People, Kelly's death was a shock to his whole family, and his son, Tex, wrote on a GoFundMe page that the family would be "feeling the toll of [his death] for a very long time." 

"There was never a negative moment with him or a conversation that didn't end with 'I love you,'" Tex, who did not reveal more details about his father's passing, told People. "Dad was 45 years old when he passed but I'll tell ya, that man lived it with no regrets and he made sure to get the most out of every day." The creator's lasting legacy wouldn't be his videos or his followers, but rather his generous spirit, his kindness, and his selflessness, his son shared. Tex said, "He'd give you his last dollar and the clothes on his back if he knew you needed it."

It is incredibly difficult to go through loss and suffering, but even more so when the public is invested too. This was the case for popular TikTok star Caitlyn Loane, who was just 19 years old when she died. As noted by People, the up-and-coming TikTok star was taking Australia by storm, making her tragic death that much more devastating. Her father, Phillip Loane, confirmed her death to The Mercury and later described his daughter as "a lovely, crazy young woman who was an invaluable member of our family," adding, "Words can't describe our loss." 

Caitlyn was a fourth-generation farmer, and she shared her life and responsibilities with her 50,000 followers. "Her smile lit up the room," her mom, Richele Loane, said. "She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty — in some photos she has mud up to her knees."

The Loane family chose not to reveal Caitlyn's cause of death, but rather used the tragedy as an opportunity to talk about R U OK? Day in Australia. The day serves as a national day of action in Australia, with a specific focus on conversations surrounding suicide and the importance of mental health. "Every day should be 'R U OK?' Day," Caitlyn's family attested.