Keenan Cahill has sadly passed away at just 27 years old.
A spokesperson for the family revealed the shocking news to WGN early Friday morning but spared details regarding how exactly the YouTube sensation died.
Born in Elmhurst, Illinois, the Internet star first attracted attention over 13 years ago when he began posting his now iconic lip sync videos in 2009. One of his most famous came a year later in 2010, with Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. As of now, it has amassed a whopping 58 million views. See (below):
The young star welcomed Katy herself, as well as the likes Jennifer Aniston, Nick Cannon, 50 Cent, Justin Bieber, Sean Kingston, and many others on his channel for collabs! He was even featured in Sara Bareilles’ Uncharted music video, alongside Adam Levine, Sia, and Ryan Tedder, and worked on his own, original music. And who could forget that iconic on-stage performance with LMFAO at the 2011 American Music Awards?! See (below):
While details remain slim, we do know that the fan favorite had been diagnosed with Maroteaux–Lamy syndrome, “a progressive condition that causes many tissues and organs to enlarge, become inflamed or scarred, and eventually waste away (atrophy),” according to MedlinePlus. He also revealed to fans on Instagram earlier this month that he would be undergoing “open heart surgery.” See (below):
So sad to see such an iconic YouTube contributor pass on, but his legacy will live forever in pop culture. Rest in peace.
[Image via Keenan Cahill/YouTube]