TikTok star John Crawley, also known as “KingBeardX,” has died at the age of 47.
Crawley’s former podcast co-host and friend Anthony Caruso shared the news Tuesday on a GoFundMe page that had been set up earlier this month for the social media star’s medical expenses.
“I’m really sorry to tell everyone the bad news but Pimpmunkx (KingBeardx) passed away yesterday,” Caruso wrote in a brief update, thanking those who had contributed to the fundraiser so far.
Caruso noted that Crawley’s mother told him to “thank you all,” and added that the fundraiser will “go on to support fundraising a funeral/helping John’s mother.”
Caruso had set up the GoFundMe, who had amassed over 3.5 million followers on Instagram and TikTok.
“John is currently in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) located in the state of Mississippi, USA, and is struggling to breathe,” Caruso posted Aug. 4.
“John is the main breadwinner for his family, and unfortunately, he doesn’t have medical insurance,” he continued, adding that Crawley’s condition was “quite unstable” and that family and friends were “worried about him.”
“He went to the hospital; he was having trouble breathing,” Caruso cited a family member as saying.
“Doctors put him on a ventilator… we went past 66% (O2 levels) and he stopped breathing. They (put him into the ICU and) brought it back up to 100% (O2 levels). He just had a tube placed in his chest… his breathing condition is still very bad.”
The fundraising effort was specifically set with a goal of $31,574, because, “according to the National Library of Medicine in the US: ‘the mean intensive care unit cost and length of stay were $31,574,’” the GoFundMe page stated.
Crawley was known for his comedic social media reactions to people consuming meals, his sharp wit and his distinctive long beard.
On X, fans struggled to grasp the news on Tuesday. “It is so sad,” one person wrote, adding, “I hope it isn’t real!”
Another X user remarked, “I’ll miss his irreplicable [sic] sense of acerbic humor, and will forever curse that he didn’t outlive TBob. Such an amazing creator and comedian, and it’s so tragic to see him go.”