Such a pointless tragedy…
It pains us to tell you of the death of Grant Thompson, the YouTube star known as “The King Of Random.” The popular creator was killed Monday night in a paragliding accident.
He was only 38 years old.
For those who’ve (somehow) never seen one of his videos, Grant was a sort of DIY scientist, conducting experiments and doing exciting craft projects often with nothing more than household items.
Grant created the channel way back in 2010. Over the years The King Of Random collected over 11 million subscribers; TKOR videos have nearly two and a half BILLION views in total.
In late 2017 Grant surprised his audience by stepping away from his hosting duties, with new cohosts Nate Bonham and Calli Gade continuing the show in his stead.
Just before he left he went out with a bang by doing a guest spot on The Tonight Show.
He said at the time he was leaving in order to spend more time with his family. He had no idea he had so little time left…
So what happened exactly??
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Utah got a call on Monday that a paraglider was late for his scheduled landing. It was determined he went off radar mid-flight, so a search and rescue helicopter used his GPS to find him.
Authorities have confirmed to the media they located the body of a paraglider on Tuesday near Sand Hollow State Park.
Grant’s brother Mark confirmed to TMZ it was the YouTube star. Mark told the outlet his brother had just gotten into paragliding five months ago. He also enjoyed skydiving.
It’s still unclear what exactly went wrong. Authorities did say they found recording equipment at the crash site, so it’s likely Grant was making a video during the flight. However, with a GoPro camera, that can be done hands free and is unlikely to have caused a crash.
The King of Random videos occasionally got dangerous, like “Can You Start A Fire With A Sandwich Bag?” or “What does Liquid Nitrogen do to Your Face?” But Grant was always careful to take proper safety precautions.
For him to die in such a horrible accident so soon into his retirement just feels so wrong.
YouTube paid tribute to the late content creator on Twitter, writing:
“We’re deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of Grant Thompson, a gifted, passionate and endlessly curious creator. We send our deepest condolences to his loving family, The King of Random team and fans.”
Take a moment of silence to mourn the King (below):
[Image via The King Of Random/YouTube/WENN.]
