Cooper Noriega, a 19-year-old TikTok star with more than 1.7 million followers, died on Thursday at the age of 19.
According to the Los Angeles medical examiner office, Noriega was found dead in a Los Angeles mall parking lot on June 9.
Hours before his death, the social media star tweeted a video of himself lying in bed with the message: “Who else b thinking they gon die young...? [sic].”
As per TMZ, which broke the story, Noriega exhibited no evidence of violence to his body. No foul play is suspected either. The cause of death has yet to be determined, and the matter is now being investigated.
Shortly after his death, his family posted an update on his Instagram account. “hi everyone. on behalf of our family we want to thank you all for the kind words of our little coop. his passing is an absolute tragedy to our family and loved ones. We pray that we all as a community can continue on his legacy. He loved each and everyone of you. Please feel free to reach out to us as we love feeling all the support. Bless you all… with love, his sister [sic],” the post read.
Noriega’s TikTok is filled with posts of him skateboarding and fashion videos. Noriega has worked with Jxdn and Nessa Barrett, who are TikTok stars and musicians.
Earlier Noriega was a guest on Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards, and Bri Chickenfry’s Barstool’s BFF’s show just last week.
According to Variety, mental health was important to Noriega. He had formed a Discord group on June 5 where he and his followers could share their experiences with mental health. “Come join if you’re truly into getting your emotions out, or anything,” he stated in a TikTok video. “I developed [the server] because I adore you guys and know how much I struggle with it.”
“I want you guys to feel comfortable and not alone,” he added.