<p id=”par-1_108″>TikTok helped millions of content creators reach a massive audience and propel themselves to stardom. Over the last several years, the social media platform has given rise to some of the world’s most well-known new stars. It has also allowed people to share <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/tiktok-star-ophelia-nichols-asks-community-for-help-after-her-sons-murder.html/”>their journeys through harder moments</a>. Along the way, there have also been many losses, including the death of rising star Emma Atienza this week. Atienza, 19, died by suicide at her home. She isn’t the only young star fans are mourning. Over the last year, several well-known TikTok stars have died, and their fans are still coming to terms with them being gone too soon.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-joshua-blackledge-s-death-at-16-shocked-followers”>Joshua Blackledge’s death at 16 shocked followers</h2>
<p id=”par-2_65″>Joshua Blackledge’s death at 16 shocked followers, many of whom questioned how a teen could be posting one minute and gone the next. The high school junior from North Carolina rose to fame as a TikTok star by sharing lip-syncing videos and clips from his life. He also featured couples’ content with his girlfriend, Emmie Gillikin, and car videos that featured some of his friends.</p>
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<p id=”par-3_89″>In March 2025, the teen died by suicide. While his family didn’t originally release his cause of death, it was made known in June. According to <a href=”https://www.eonline.com/news/1418635/tiktoker-joshua-blackledges-cause-of-death-revealed”>E! News,</a> he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Blackridge was found by a family member. His death has raised questions about mental health in teen influencers. The Blackledge family noted some behavioral changes in the teen in the month leading up to his death, but fans didn’t see any warning signs in his content. He posted just four days before his death.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-zuza-beine-died-after-a-year-long-battle-with-leukemia”>Zuza Beine died after a year-long battle with leukemia</h2>
<p id=”par-4_84″>Zuza Beine, 14, died in September after a multi-year battle with Leukemia. The teen had a following totaling over 1 million on both TikTok and Instagram at the time of her death. The TikTok star’s positive outlook, despite battling leukemia multiple times over 11 years, drew fans to her. She offered a mix of content showing all sides of cancer treatment, including her lengthy hospital stays, clinical trials, and regular infusions. She also uploaded beauty content and was a member of the Glow House.</p>
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<p id=”par-5_76″>Zuza had been mostly honest with fans in the months leading up to her death about her increasing pain levels and the amount of cancer found in her bone marrow, but didn’t share that she was in hospice care. Her pages are still visited regularly by fans, many of whom remain shocked by her sudden death. She posted just a few days before her passing about a medical emergency, but insisted some test results looked promising.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-chris-o-donnell-died-suddenly-at-31″>Chris O’Donnell died suddenly at 31</h2>
<p id=”par-6_59″>Chris O’Donnell, known by his username “Creeohdee,” died on January 11, 2025. He was 31. According to <a href=”https://people.com/chris-o-donnell-dead-fitness-influencer-8776331″>People</a>, the TikTok creator died by suicide. Just days before his death, he uploaded a lengthy video about reminiscing and past memories. While not initially off-putting, fans have returned to the post to look for clues in the aftermath of his death.</p>
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<blockquote class=”tiktok-embed” cite=”https://www.tiktok.com/@creeohdee/video/7437945625318133023″ data-video-id=”7437945625318133023″ data-embed-from=”oembed” style=”max-width:605px; min-width:325px;”> <section> <a rel=”noopener” target=”_blank” title=”@creeohdee” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/@creeohdee?refer=embed”>@creeohdee</a> <p>Throwing this back up <a rel=”noopener” title=”explore” target=”_blank” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/tag/explore?refer=embed”>#explore</a> <a rel=”noopener” title=”fyp” target=”_blank” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed”>#fyp</a> <a rel=”noopener” title=”outdoors” target=”_blank” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/tag/outdoors?refer=embed”>#outdoors</a> </p> <a rel=”noopener” target=”_blank” title=”♬ MANIC MAN – Curtis Waters” href=”https://www.tiktok.com/music/MANIC-MAN-7214308968787625986?refer=embed”>♬ MANIC MAN – Curtis Waters</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src=”https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js”></script>
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<p id=”par-7_71″>O’Donnell was well-known in the fitness community. He focused most of his content on positivity, sobriety, and staying fit. However, after his death, fans raised questions about some of the comments he made over the final months of his life that indicated he may have been struggling mentally. In one upload, he noted that fitness wasn’t exactly his passion; in another, he mused about what would happen when he was dead.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-anna-grace-phelan-documented-her-cancer-journey”>Anna Grace Phelan documented her cancer journey</h2>
<p id=”par-8_53″>Anna Grace Phelan was a 19-year-old TikTok influencer who used her platform to share her cancer journey with her followers. Originally from Florida and living in Georgia, she began documenting her health issues as a high school student. Eventually, in September 2024, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/rhobhs-teddi-mellencamp-50-50-chance-surviving-brain-cancer.html/”>a brain tumor.</a></p>
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<p id=”par-9_76″>Throughout her journey, she took followers along, updating them on her condition and sharing her hopes and her faith. In early May, Phelan revealed that a medical appointment showed her tumor had grown into an inoperable part of her brain. She asked for prayers. In late May, her family returned to TikTok to reveal the teen had died. Her TikTok community, which largely understood the seriousness of her medical journey, was still shocked by the death.</p>