Popular TikTok food critic wafffler69, whose real name was Taylor LeJeune, died unexpectedly at age 33, his brother announced Wednesday.
LeJeune, who was based in Louisiana, was known for posting videos of himself eating bizarre foods on his TikTok account, which had 1.7 million followers. He spelled his TikTok username with three f’s; on several other platforms he used just two (waffler69).
“My brother Taylor … he has passed away around 10 p.m. on January 11th, 2023, from a presumed heart attack,” ClaytonClaydorm, Taylor’s brother, said in a TikTok video. “He was rushed to the hospital, and I want to say, like, an hour and a half later he passed away. This is still pretty new. I don’t know what’s going to be happening in the near future … but I thought I should get on TikTok and let everybody know.”
Claydorm confirmed his brother’s death in a message to NBC News on Thursday.
He said he had gotten a call from their mother saying she needed their car to take LeJeune to the hospital because he couldn’t breathe. An ambulance ended up picking him up, and he died at the hospital, Claydorm said. LeJeune’s father and a grandfather both died from heart failure before age 50, Claydorm said.
In his TikTok bio, Claydorm shared a link to a GoFundMe page to help compensate his mother, who he said “had to pay for my brother’s cremation, as well as the medical expenses.”
LeJeune grew popular on TikTok by posting videos of himself tasting a wide variety of unique foods and snacks, including canned beef tripe and fried grasshoppers. Some of his most viewed videos featured him eating expired items.
He eventually released his own “Wafffler’s Creole Rice and All-Purpose Seasoning” and started selling merch on Etsy.
In his last TikTok video, which he posted two days ago, he eats a Big Fruit Loop dipped in a bowl of milk after one of his followers suggested it.
After reports of wafffler69’s death emerged, fans shared their outpouring of love for him.
“I’m so glad you shared your joyful energy with us. You will be missed by me and so many. Rest easy,” a person wrote on his most recent TikTok video.
Fellow TikTok creator Stefan Johnson also mourned the loss.
“I am devastated,” he wrote in a comment. “This was a good guy. A damn good guy. Rest up bro.”
Claydorm said it’s “moving” to see people’s responses.
“My brother was usually always alone and he made it on TikTok by himself and was surrounded by people who truly mourn for his loss,” he told NBC News, adding that “seeing thousands of people feel real loss is moving.”
He asked wafffler69’s fans to show their love for his brother by rewatching and sharing his videos.
“Please keep his legacy alive,” Claydorm said in the TikTok video. “Watch his content that he does have out. Keep him alive. He loved making people happy.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
