YouTube star Daniel Coleman, known online for his children’s series Danny Go!, has announced the death of his 14-year-old son, Isaac.
The creator and host of the popular children’s YouTube channel shared the news Thursday on Instagram. The death of his eldest son — who was born with Fanconi anemia, a rare genetic condition that impairs the body’s ability to repair DNA — comes after Coleman announced the teen’s Stage 3 mouth cancer diagnosis in December.
“Oh my sweet boy. There’s so much I want to say, but I don’t know how yet. I already miss you so much, and the pain in my heart is far more than I can process,” Coleman wrote, alongside a portrait of his son and a black-and-white image of him holding Isaac.
“But looking through thousands of pictures and videos this past week, I’m also filled with tremendous pride. Your 14 years were full of so many challenges, but you met them all with such grit…and you somehow kept your trademark joy in spite of it all. You truly had a spark like no other, Isaac!” he continued.
“Remembering how loved you were and how full of life your time here was gives me great comfort. Being your dad was the honor of a lifetime. I’m so proud of you and I love you forever. Rest peacefully, son.”
Coleman and his wife, Mindy, also have a younger son, Levi, who was born in 2015.
The child entertainer co-created Danny Go! in 2019 with two of his childhood friends. The live-action educational channel features music and dance videos meant to inspire “learning and off-the-couch exercise for kids ages 3 to 7,” according to its website.
Mindy makes recurring appearances on Danny Go! as Mindy Mango.
Coleman initially shared his son’s cancer diagnosis in December, saying that “we always knew this day was coming, as it’s a near certainty w/ Fanconi anemia.”
“But it’s definitely hitting a little earlier than we hoped and is still just such a shocking thing to hear about your child, even if you’ve braced for it for years,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “Been getting lots of scans and we’re not sure yet how much it’s spread. But for now, the plan is to try and remove the cancer surgically asap.”
Isaac underwent surgery in January, with Coleman sharing an update on Instagram, disclosing that “the cancer had spread further than the scans indicated, so they had to remove quite a few teeth and a pretty significant amount of mouth tissue.”
In his final Instagram update posted in April, before Isaac’s death, Coleman said that the cancer had begun “to spread aggressively,” causing his son’s energy levels to drop very low.
“We’re in the midst of a short palliative radiation round right now to slow down the growth of a large mass under his right eye, but we’ve shifted into a comfort-focused approach with him overall,” he noted, adding that they had a “hospice team onboard now to help manage the pain.”
“Mindy and I are heartbroken watching him decline, knowing how frustrating and scary this must be for him,” Coleman said. “But we’re trying to hold it all together & keep soaking up the time we still have with our boy.”
