TikTok star Cooper Noriega has died aged 19 after struggling with mental health issues and drug addiction.
The US teenager, who had more than 1.7 million followers on the app, was found dead in Burbank, California, in the early hours of Thursday morning, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office said.
The cause of his death has not been announced and the matter is still under investigation.
Tributes have been paid to him in the comments on his latest TikTok posts with one follower writing: “I’m heartbroken and can’t imagine how his family and friends are feeling. Fly high.”
Noriega had made several videos about his struggles with mental health and addiction.
Writing online, he said he had been dealing with addiction since he was nine years old and wanted to use his influence to “create a space built on spreading awareness and normalising talking about mental illness.”
Just five days ago he announced an online server for people suffering with mental issues to discuss their problems with others.
He said: “Hey guys I just created a Discord for mental health strictly and if you would like to join it you can; just click the link in my bio.”
He added that he hoped to open his own rehab centre.