Cooper Noriega was a popular TikTok star who had over 1.7 million followers on the platform. He died at the age of 19, on Thursday, in on Thursday, in Burbank, California.
As per the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office, Noriega was found dead on the 500 block of North First Street in the parking lot of a mall, while an exact cause of death has not been found yet, Deadline reported.
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Variety also reported that hours before his death, Noriega had posted a TikTok video of him lying in bed with the caption “Who else b thinking they gon die young a*?”
The TikTok star was born in Laguna Beach, California, but moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment and fashion.
Spring 2019 saw his gradual rise to fame, as Noriega began drawing attention with his comedy skits and lip-syncing videos, among other things, on TikTok.
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In October 2020, Noriega dated Sabrina Quesada, an influencer, but the couple called it quits in April. Quesada, 20, had said, “Neither of us did anything so please don’t make any assumptions”, adding, “It was a mutual decision, we’re just young and sometimes things just don’t work out the way you want them to”, in her Instagram story, as per US Weekly.
Noriega, a week before his death, had created a space to help people deal with mental health issues in honest and open ways. He described it as “Discord for mental health strictly” on Instagram.
He added, “One of the many things I’ve learned while struggling with addiction was that surrounding yourself with negative people will only bring you down. For that reason, this discord is meant to bring us all together and create a safe space where people can vent and help others through their tough times.”