The internet is being flooded with tributes to TikTok star Gabe Salazar following rumors that he passed away, but what was his cause of death?
Even as tributes to Gabe Salazar begin to pour in online, it can be hard to know whether the reports that he has died are actually true. False death rumors have been a problem on TikTok in the past, but these tributes don't seem to be fake. Rumors suggest that Gabe, who went by gabenotbabe on TikTok, died on Sept. 26.
What happened to gabenotbabe?
Although there has not yet been any official confirmation of his death, reports suggest that he died following a car accident in San Antonio, Texas. In spite of the lack of confirmation, many have suggested that Gabe's close friends and family have been posting about his death online. One user, @rickyfloreess, who was one of Gabe's best friends, has posted several tributes to him since the news of his death broke.
A GoFundMe page has also been set up that is called “Gabe’s Memorial Fund", and has already raised more than $10,000. Gabe's death has clearly hit his fans hard. He was beloved by many on TikTok and around the internet, perhaps especially by those who only knew him because of his online presence. “My heart sank when I saw his best friend post about him. He was way too young to go," one person wrote. "May God bless, heal and protect his family and friends.”
“Knowing you can lose a loved one in a blink of an eye is heartbreaking. Rest easy beautiful angel," another person added.
“Life is crazy. Never take anything for granted and appreciate people around you," a third wrote.
Gabe had amassed more than 1 million followers on TikTok and had almost 80 million likes across his videos on the platform. He also had a sizeable following of several hundred thousand on Instagram.
This is not the first car accident to lead to the death of a TikTok creator.
In part because such a wide variety of people have gained a following on TikTok, TikTok users have to grieve creators who die too soon at a somewhat alarming rate. Just recently, Timbo the redneck, a content creator from Florida who was known for his redneck sketches, died in a motorbike accident in August.
These kinds of tragedies happen all too often, and TikTok users are forced to remember creators whose content they've loved. Of course, these deaths are even worse for the people who knew them well in real life. On TikTok, though, users can take some comfort in one another, and in the knowledge that they weren't the only people who loved a specific creator.
Those who followed Gabe or Timbo may not have had a personal relationship with them in the way that the people who knew them personally did, but TikTok can allow users to feel remarkably close to the people they follow. This is especially true for creators who share aspects of their lives or take their personal experiences and turn them into content that their followers might enjoy. Gabe and Tim are gone too soon, but their followers will certainly miss them.
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