- 7/7/2025
These videos hit differently now... Join us as we explore YouTube content that took on a darker meaning in light of later events. From the final uploads of beloved creators to videos that carry eerie foreshadowing, these moments remind us how quickly life can change. Which of these retrospectively tragic videos impacted you most?
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00:00Hi, I'm Technoblade's dad. He wrote a message, and he asked me to read it to all of you.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're taking a look at YouTube videos that, in light of events that occurred after their initial posting, have taken on a darker significance.
00:15Out of respect for those involved, the entries to follow are unranked, and presented in alphabetical order.
00:20Remember I photographed you a while back?
00:22Wait a minute, is you the one with the electric car?
00:25Yeah.
00:25Is that, took me to?
00:26I took you to Culver City.
00:27I am not dead. I am 57 today.
00:32Aptor.
00:38This Norwegian content creator lived hard, and loved every minute of it.
00:42Aptor, whose real name was Tor Rache Ekhoff, rose to prominence in 2011, when his daring video, On Thin Sea Ice 2, racked up a million views in just a week.
00:53That was a lot back then.
00:54During his lifetime, Ekhoff was criticized for his content, with detractors arguing that he was unnecessarily putting his life at risk.
01:01Eep! Eep!
01:02The YouTuber generally brushed them off, but the public's warnings proved painfully prescient, when he died after drowning in a lake, west of Kongsberg.
01:16His final video was a celebration of his 57th birthday, and his title became all the more chilling, when he actually did die five days later.
01:23Dear Future Self, Week 248.
01:33Bertaley.
01:34If you could ask Future Self, if you could ask, if you could ask Future Self one question, what would it be?
01:42The 2015 passing of 13-year-old Caleb Bertaley, a member of the Bertaley family, rocked YouTube, and pop culture at large.
01:50The Bertaley's, who posted daily snippets of their lives, revealed via Instagram that the teen had passed unexpectedly from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary heart condition.
02:01His final video featured a segment, in which Caleb posed questions to his future self.
02:05Is Taco Bell still around?
02:13Yeah.
02:14That's probably what I'd ask.
02:16As a teenage boy will do, Caleb mostly dodges the question in favor of light, silly, irreverent answers, like wondering if any new sports will gain popularity.
02:25Of course, as we know now, Caleb never got to meet his future self, leaving an irreparable hole in the Bertaley's.
02:31A little bit of my cheeks are fat.
02:33Anyways, remember to leave a comment down below because you want to know the question of the day is, what is it?
02:39That's a good question, Caleb.
02:40Oh, I'm asking my future self.
02:42See, because I asked, like, my five-second earlier self to my five-second other self what the question of the day was.
02:51Chadwick Boseman gets emotional about Black Panther's cultural impact, SiriusXM.
02:56You know, there are two little kids, Ian and Taylor, who recently passed from cancer.
03:10And throughout our filming, I was communicating with them.
03:15Unbeknownst to legions of adoring fans, this Marvel icon was faced with an entirely different journey in his private life.
03:21Far from the golden streets of Wakanda, Boseman, the first Black actor to star in an MCU movie, was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016.
03:30While living with the disease, the Oscar nominee kept working and visited hospitalized children who shared his condition.
03:36To a certain degree, it's a humbling experience because you're like, this can't mean that much to them, you know.
03:43But seeing how the world has taken this on, seeing how the movement is, how it's taken on a life of its own, I realized that they anticipated something great.
03:56In this clip, posted by satellite radio giant SiriusXM, Boseman talked about what he learned from his experience.
04:02Overcome with emotion, a tearful Boseman is consoled by co-stars Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira.
04:09Years after his 2020 passing, this video becomes harder and harder to watch, given what the actor was going through at the time.
04:16And when I found out that they...
04:18Take your time, would you?
04:30Christina Grimmie.
04:31Video from her last concert from her last concert in Orlando.
04:35Team Grimmie Forever.
04:36She was a star on the rise, with a bright future seemingly hers for the taking.
04:48And then, she was gone.
04:50Grimmie had been a popular YouTuber for some years, prior to finding success on the sixth season of the NBC reality competition show, The Voice.
04:57With both Lil Wayne and Maroon 5's Adam Levine expressing interest in signing her to their respective record labels.
05:04On June 10th, 2016, a meet and greet after an Orlando show went disturbingly awry, when 27-year-old Kevin James Loible fatally shot Grimmie before taking his own life.
05:14Cell phone footage from the concert, posted by a fan account over a year later, is as bizarre to watch as it is heartbreaking.
05:21You might have been me, but I did not break it. You'd be a brain to my body, but I think I'm in love.
05:29Deleting this video in 24 hours. Corey LaBerry.
05:33What up, YouTube? Now, I know you see the title, and I'm calling some people out.
05:37You've got 24 hours to respond, less than 24 hours, and you're at home calling out, you guys.
05:42And if you don't respond, well, nothing happens.
05:45But, I just want to let you guys know, tomorrow is my birthday.
05:49Yes, I am getting old.
05:50Just one day prior to his untimely death in a car accident, YouTuber LaBerry posted a seemingly ordinary clip,
05:56in which he announced his plans to celebrate his 25th birthday with a Twitch livestream.
06:01On the night of LaBerry's birthday, he was killed when his friend, celebrity tattooist Daniel Silva, lost control of his car and crashed.
06:09Both LaBerry and Silva were intoxicated at the time, and the tattoo artist was arrested for murder.
06:13Police say that he tried to run away from the scene, but was stopped by eyewitnesses.
06:18Heartbreak in Valley Village, at the scene of a crash where the lives of two young social media stars were destroyed.
06:24Famed tattoo artist Daniel Silva is accused of slamming his 2020 McLaren into his stop sign and a tree Sunday night.
06:33Sentenced to a year in prison, Silva was released early, posting his own video in February of 2021, in which he attempted to explain things from his perspective.
06:40Fans have noted that the promise of LaBerry's original video will now never be fulfilled.
06:46It's my birthday, my roommates will be there, I will be there, we're live streaming on Twitch, it's in the description down below.
06:52That's all I gotta say, be there or not.
06:54That's, yeah, that's, that's it.
06:55Okay guys, I love you guys.
06:5610 Reasons to Get a Younger Boyfriend
06:58Emily Hart
06:59And to be honest, I was always gonna end up with a younger guy.
07:03I don't really like salt and pepper hair.
07:05I'm very young at heart, and I've always dated younger guys.
07:08Although there are some positives to dating an older guy, there are also some excellent things about dating a younger guy.
07:15And here are my top 10.
07:16Sometimes, a YouTuber's final post seems so innocuous on the surface, before the anvil really drops.
07:23Such is the case with Emily Hartridge's last video, in which, per the title, the British lifestyle vlogger and television presenter, elaborates on the rationale behind dating her boyfriend, whom she reveals to be 8 years younger than herself.
07:35Now, I am someone that generally tries to delay the responsibilities of becoming older, and saving money to buy a house, and all that shit.
07:45A younger man is perfect, because they don't care about that either.
07:48Four days after its upload, on July 8th, 2019, 35-year-old Hartridge was the victim of a fatal left-field electric scooter accident, thought to be the first of its kind in her native UK.
07:59The scariest part?
08:00Her younger boyfriend video depicts Jake Hazel, her partner, gifting her with two e-scooters, one of which Hart was riding at the time of the accident.
08:08Happy birthday.
08:10Oh my god, two scooters!
08:11Yeah, you know that.
08:12Why'd you get me two?
08:13Well, this one's a six, it's got your name on it, and then this is the one you can use to work, it's called Electric, and apparently the best one in the game.
08:20I'm sorry, Etika.
08:22I'm sorry, yo.
08:24I'm sorry I betrayed your trust.
08:26I'm sorry I pushed you all away.
08:29I'm sorry I made a clown of myself.
08:33I apologize.
08:35I wish it didn't have to be this way.
08:37But unfortunately, I'm breaking my, my own rules.
08:42Chances are, you've heard of this one.
08:44Live streamer Desmond Daniel, Etika Omofa, was massively popular within the gaming community, endearing himself to countless fans with his exuberant, joyful personality.
08:54Omofa earned and enjoyed years of fame and adoration on YouTube, but things took a dramatic turn in 2018.
08:59I know this world's gonna forget me, I know y'all are all gonna move on, and everything's gonna be good, you know?
09:05There'll be technology and games and movies I'll never see.
09:09I'll never see Attack on Titan.
09:11Oh, that last episode with Grisha was crazy too, bro.
09:14I'll never see how Attack on Titan finishes.
09:16Beginning in October of that year, the streamer began acting erratically, using his various platforms to allude to his own death, utter numerous slurs, and post straight up adult content.
09:25This continued until June 20th, 2019, when Omofa posted this video to one of his YouTube channels.
09:32Days later, his body was retrieved from New York's East River.
09:35Let my story be one that advises caution on too much of the social media shit, man.
09:41It'll f*** you up.
09:43It can give you an image of what you want your life to be, and it can get blown completely out of proportion, dog.
09:51Unfortunately, it consumed me.
09:54Rice Cake Raft. Will it float? T-K-O-R.
09:58You need a little bit more variety in what you shop for, I think.
10:01No.
10:03Guys, we have some rice cakes.
10:05These, when you eat them, I think most people's first impression is like, hey, that tastes like styrofoam.
10:10This is, I think, we're eating the extra pack, as if we don't have enough extra pack.
10:16This is the lightly salted one here.
10:18On July 28th, 2019, channel creator slash co-host Grant Thompson uploaded this video.
10:25The King of Random's next upload was a stark contrast.
10:28It was a simple, sober memorial for Thompson, who had died on July 29th in a freak paragliding accident.
10:35Strangely enough, Thompson's YouTuber instincts may have provided his loved ones with some sense of closure.
10:40He had attached a camera to his paramotor, which revealed that an unexpected updraft had caused him to make a lethal crash landing.
10:46His family grew concerned when Thompson was late to return from the outing.
10:50A search was then launched to locate him.
10:52Police were covering his body Tuesday morning, thanks to a GPS locator Thompson had in his possession.
10:57Thompson's Instagram page sharing the news of his passing.
11:00Grant's legacy will live on in the channel and the global community he created.
11:04After a series of memorial videos, the channel returned to its regularly scheduled programming, per Thompson's reported wishes.
11:10Watching Thompson try to make a rice cake raft float now feels impossibly heavy.
11:15Alright, so here's the lesson.
11:17If you're on a ship and it's sinking and there are lots of rice cakes and some duct tape around, grab it.
11:23Quickly lash together a flotation device.
11:25I would also recommend really sealing up the openings of the rice cakes.
11:29Teen dad tries labor pain simulation.
11:32Cam and fam.
11:33Obviously, there's no way to simulate a watermelon-sized baby coming out of a very small hole, at least for Landon here.
11:45But at least we can kind of mimic a contraction.
11:49Yes.
11:49So that's what we're about to do.
11:51People have always had to remind themselves that appearances can be deceiving, and that, even though others may look perfectly fine on the outside, they may be struggling within.
12:00This couldn't be more apparent than in the case of 19-year-old Landon Clifford.
12:04Define the husband stitch.
12:06I think you told me about this, where it's like the procedure to make the vagina tighter.
12:15Yes.
12:16But if you give birth and you're just like, hey doc.
12:19Hey doc.
12:20Hey doc, tighten it up a little bit.
12:23Let me redo the proper definition.
12:25Along with his spouse, Cameron, Clifford ran the family vlogging YouTube channel, Cam and Fam, which depicted their day-to-day life as parents of two young girls.
12:34Tragedy struck a few months later, when Cameron revealed that Landon had taken his life after a lifetime of living with anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
12:43While Clifford only experiences a simulation in this video, it's become abundantly clear that his inner pain was very real.
12:49But now that I've done it, I get it.
12:51Like, it honestly like changes you, and it's really empowering to like go through all that pain.
12:57I'm still waiting on my push present though.
13:00Well that pretty much wraps up today's video.
13:02Thank you guys so much for watching, and let's see you in the next video, Camille.
13:06Cookies for Cancer, Cooking with Linja.
13:08Hey Linja Turtles.
13:10Unfortunately, I have bad news, but I also have good news and great news.
13:14The bad news is back in 2019, I was diagnosed with throat cancer.
13:20It changed my voice, and that's why I think I sound like Marge, Mabel, and Toby.
13:24Last day of radiation.
13:25How do you feel?
13:26I feel great.
13:27I'm so excited.
13:28You look great.
13:28We know this video is about tragic YouTube uploads, but it's a challenge to watch the late celebrity chef's content without cracking a smile.
13:35Linja's cheery, self-effacing persona could soften even the harshest of blows, including her own cancer diagnosis in 2021.
13:42Start by adding flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
13:47Mix it, Sean.
13:49Have your son throw you the stand mixer.
13:51Grab the bowl and the paddle.
13:53Add butter, brown sugar, sugar.
13:55Mix.
13:56One egg, vanilla.
13:58Mix.
13:59And while mixing, slowly add in the flour mixture.
14:02And it should turn out like this.
14:03In Cookies for Cancer, she reveals she'd been diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
14:08But true to form, she delivers the news with irreverent humor, upbeat energy, and a delicious cookie recipe dedicated to the healthcare workers who supported her on her journey.
14:17Yes, Linja passed away at the start of 2024.
14:21But this video, which is part update, part tribute, and part baking tutorial, remains a heartwarming reminder of the joy she brought to millions, even in the face of adversity.
14:30I can't go into the cancer center because of COVID restrictions, but...
14:35Thank you, healthcare workers!
14:37Long story short, I'm doing great, and I love making these videos for you.
14:42If I had any advice for you, it's get checkups annually, drink lots of water, and stay close to your friends and family.
14:49Linja out!
14:51Rescuing a beautiful bobcat.
14:53Save a fox.
14:54All right, this is Mira, everybody.
14:57She came from that big rescue group that I have been slowly but surely introducing you guys to.
15:05She is in heat right now.
15:07Social media can be an ugly, even vicious place.
15:11Case in point, the rise of snark subreddits, online communities that single out public figures for relentless mockery.
15:18This was the tragic reality for vlogger Michaela Rains, founder and CEO of Save a Fox Rescue in Lakeville, Minnesota.
15:25In June 2025, Rains took her own life.
15:28A follow-up video featuring her husband, Ethan Frankamp, directly blamed one such subreddit for subjecting her to sustained cyberbullying and harassment.
15:37For a few years, a group of people had been throwing dirt on Michaela's name and the rescue.
15:44Most of these are people she knew, and some of them are other animal sanctuaries.
15:49They consistently spread ridiculous claims and rumors, and being the sensitive human that she was, Michaela took it all to heart.
15:57Frankamp also revealed that Rains had autism, depression, and borderline personality disorder, and that the targeted attacks had taken a devastating toll on her mental health.
16:07Posted on June 21st, the same day that she died, Michaela's final video now stands as a quiet, sobering farewell.
16:14And we're going to miss her.
16:17We really wish we could keep her.
16:20But we know she's going to a good place that probably has boy bobcats, and she might have a friend once she's spayed.
16:26And I'm sure she'll love that.
16:28So, everyone give a round of a pause to Mira.
16:34I made my own clothing brand, and it actually worked.
16:37P2 is the name.
16:37All right, ladies and gentlemen.
16:40It's the night before my drop day.
16:42Oh, man.
16:43Bruh, I ain't gonna lie, I'm looking like Lost for Warriors right now, bruh.
16:46Like, we haven't even dropped, but this is my first drop for Don't Mind This ever.
16:51I thought it was gonna be an emotional moment, so let's just open the blinds so we can get the view in the back.
16:55Primarily known as a live streamer, Philip and Awali had recently begun branching out, launching both a production company and a fashion brand, frequent subjects of his videos.
17:04But that forward momentum came to a sudden, tragic halt on March 14th, 2025, when Awali was found dead in a Los Angeles mailroom.
17:13Y'all, I ain't gonna lie, I'm nervous, but I'm excited at the same damn time, bruh.
17:17Y'all, this man right here, you know, we have a good amount of ideas, bro, but, like, I learned so much dropping our clothing line.
17:25Like, bruh, I did this in high school, but, like, bruh, this is not the same game.
17:29Like, this is a whole different game.
17:31According to the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner, the cause of death was a sudden cardiac dysfunction due to solitary papillary muscle hypertrophy, which causes one's heart muscle to grow.
17:42That makes this upload all the more difficult to watch, as it captures Awali's overwhelming gratitude for a life that, unbeknownst to him, was nearing its end.
17:50Ah, I ain't gonna cry. I don't like crying on YouTube, man. I don't believe I'm crying on YouTube, bruh. Like, I ain't trying to do it, man. I ain't trying to do it. I'm just really passionate about that shit, bruh.
18:02Yeah, I ain't gonna cry. I ain't crying. I ain't crying. I promise y'all, bro, Drop 2 is gonna be way better than Drop 1. Drop 1 was just to get my foot through the door. Now that my foot is through the door, watch what I do going to Drop 2.
18:13Wreckful shows his game ever land after two years of development. Wreckful.
18:17Okay, so once you guys start getting in, there are a few bugs that we couldn't fix.
18:21There's this weird bug where once in a while, when you're entering an interior, you have to reopen the client.
18:27We just couldn't figure out how to make it go away before the stress test, but stuff happens.
18:34A former eSports pro turned full-time streamer, Byron Wreckful-Bernstein wasn't afraid to share his struggles with mental health, often using his platform to speak candidly about depression, bipolar disorder, and loneliness.
18:46That vulnerability resonated with millions, but it also revealed just how much he was quietly enduring.
18:52Everything's working so far.
18:56This is my first time seeing this many people in-game, dude. It's been like two years working on the game. This is cool.
19:02In July 2020, Bernstein died by his own hand at the age of 31, having previously spoken about the intense difficulty that came with losing his brother in the same way years earlier.
19:12That's why his final video hit so hard.
19:15At one point, Bernstein joyfully remarks that he might someday watch others stream Everland, a video game he, himself, created, which we now know he'll never experience.
19:25Dude, this is cool.
19:28Wait, one day there'll be a bunch of people streaming my game, and I'll just watch them.
19:31And I'll be an old man.
19:33You need popcorn.
19:34Shooting victim interview.
19:36Jerry.
19:37Soft white underbelly.
19:38You were shot in the side of the head with a shot.
19:40He said, the only reason I survived, because it was point-blank range.
19:47He said, it was not point-blank range, my head would get out of the streets.
19:51And you'd be dead.
19:52I'd be dead, yeah.
19:53And see, I can't see that guy with his left eye.
19:55The bio for this YouTube channel reads simply, Soft White Underbelly Interviews and Portraits of the Human Condition by photographer Mark Leita.
20:03That understated line belies the emotional depth Leita reaches in his filmed conversations with residents of Skid Row, the unofficial neighborhood at the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
20:13To Leita, his subjects represent some of the most marginalized people in America, and his raw, unfiltered approach has drawn praise and criticism.
20:22Your attitude is amazing.
20:23Yeah.
20:24Have to, man.
20:25I can't change it.
20:27I can't stop living now.
20:29You know, whenever I hear somebody complaining about their tough life, I think about you.
20:33Yeah, I can't stop living.
20:35I gotta live on.
20:37Definitely.
20:39God is good.
20:39But the channel's most powerful moments are exactly what the tagline promises.
20:44Human.
20:45Take his May 2019 interview with Jerry Knave, an unhoused Angelino who survived a shotgun blast to the face.
20:51Knave's sunny optimism takes on a deeply poignant weight following his death in November 2020.
20:57Things happen, you know.
20:58Things happen.
20:58They happen to you.
21:00And things happen respectfully.
21:01So, I'm here to take this later in terms of the policy.
21:11Talking Kitty Cat 69.
21:13Sylvester goes to court.
21:15Talking Kitty Cat.
21:16Do you know what your present is?
21:17No.
21:18Well, just try to guess, Kitty.
21:19What?
21:19All right, it takes a lot of screws.
21:21Huh?
21:21No, no, it's not Gigi.
21:23Wood screws.
21:24So, any idea?
21:25No.
21:25A catio, Sylvester.
21:27What?
21:27Yeah, I'm gonna go build it right now.
21:28I want catio.
21:30Idaho-based creator Steve Cash made a name for himself through Talking Kitty Cat, a long-running series in which he voiced his pets, turning everyday moments into bizarre, profanity-laden conversations.
21:41His breakout star, a grumpy black cat named Sylvester, helped him rack up millions of subscribers.
21:47Cash was candid about living with bipolar disorder, confirming struggles with mental health as the reason he had needed to take a nine-month hiatus from YouTube.
21:54And to those of you who are wondering why it takes me so long sometimes between videos to get anything out, it is because I have bipolar disorder, which means I spend sometimes, you know, a couple months to six months or longer stuck in a really, really deep depression.
22:08And it just, it comes and goes and I don't really have any control over it.
22:11So, when it is taking me a long time to get a video out, I'm sorry.
22:15Said Cash, I go into a really, really, really deep depression, and I can't make videos when that's happening.
22:21In April 2020, he took his own life, aged 40.
22:25His final upload, posted just weeks earlier, plays like business as usual, which makes it all the more heart-rending in hindsight.
22:33Either way, again, thank you so much for watching, and I will see you guys soon. Bye.
22:37Dem Bones. Stevie Ryan. Stevie Ryan.
22:41Here's a name that'll take you straight back to YouTube's early days.
22:52From 2006 to 2010, aspiring actress Stevie Ryan was a regular presence on the then-nascent platform.
22:59A kind of proto-vlogger, she uploaded comedy sketches, songs, and even burlesque performances.
23:04Her online popularity eventually led to Stevie TV, a sketch comedy series that aired on VH1 from 2012 to 2013.
23:12I'm addicted to twerking.
23:14Ryan died by her own hand in 2017.
23:36And reports later revealed that nurse practitioner, Gerald Baltz, with whom she was in a relationship,
23:42had prescribed her multiple medications without proper justification.
23:45The circumstances surrounding her death are difficult to stomach.
23:48This Halloween-themed sketch from October 2006, featuring Ryan dressed as a skeleton, now lands with grim irony.
23:56Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
24:02You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
24:06If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
24:12So long, nerds. Technoblade.
24:15My real name is Alex.
24:17I had one of my siblings call me Dave one time in a deleted video from 2016,
24:22and it was one of the most successful pranks we've ever done.
24:26Thousands of creepy online dudes trying to get overly personal going,
24:30Oh, hey, Dave. How's it going?
24:33Known for his strategic brilliance and deadpan delivery,
24:35Technoblade was more than just a Minecraft YouTuber.
24:38He was a phenomenon, building a massive fan base without ever showing his face.
24:43That changed in part with So Long Nerds, a farewell video uploaded in July 2022,
24:48read aloud by his father shortly after his death from cancer at the age of 23.
24:52Thank you all for supporting my content over the years.
24:55If I had another hundred lives, I think I would choose to be Technoblade again every single time,
25:01as those were the happiest years of my life.
25:04I hope you guys enjoyed my content and that I made some of you laugh,
25:08and I hope you all go on to live long, prosperous, and happy lives.
25:12In it, Technoblade revealed his real name, thanked his fans,
25:16and signed off with the same dry wit that defined his channel.
25:19A longtime fan of Minecraft, Technoblade's final address drew renewed attention in 2025,
25:25upon the release of Jared Hess' A Minecraft Movie,
25:27which paid moving, but tasteful homage to him.
25:30Whoa!
25:31Is he some kind of king?
25:33No.
25:35That's a legend.
25:37Kid, anything you can dream about here, you can make.
25:41Zero limits.
25:42You know what I'm talking about.
25:44If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues,
25:46don't hesitate to call the National Mental Health Hotline at 1-866-903-3787.
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