Influencers are speaking out and sharing memories following the death of 19-year-old TikTok star Cooper Noriega.
Noriega was found unconscious on Thursday in a mall parking lot outside Los Angeles, TMZ.com reported. While paramedics rushed to the scene, they were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead.
Following his passing, Noriega’s friends shared posts commemorating the young star. Fellow TikTok star Dixie D’Amelio, 20, was visibly emotional as she attempted to make her way through a performance on Friday evening in New York City, Page Six reported.
“A friend of mine lost his life yesterday,” D’Amelio, who has openly shared her own mental health struggles, told the crowd while crying. She went on to encourage those in the audience to “check in” with their friends to make sure they are doing okay.
Noriega’s ex-girlfriend Sabrina “Sab” Quesada shared a post on Instagram in his honor.
“The light of my life, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” Quesada captioned her post, which featured a series of videos and photos of the two kissing and embracing. “i’m so sorry my love. may we meet again.”
In one slide, Quesada shared a series of texts from Noriega, including one in which he told her to “b safe an heal. God has his angels around u. I feel greatest coming towards you.”
Social media star Addison Rae also shared a memory of Noriega, along with a heartfelt message.
“One of the most kind and caring people with a contagious smile and laugh,” Rae wrote in her Instagram Story, along with a photo of herself, Noriega and other friends in the reflection of a car window.
Several other TikTok stars shared about Noriega’s death.
Blake Gray posted a smiling photo of Noriega, along with the caption, “Love you man. Always the light of every room you’re in. I know you’re shining bright up there.”
The same sentiments were shared by TikTok star Quinton Griggs, who shared a photo of Noriega, and wrote over it “just doesn’t feel real man. It’s against the f***** rules. I love you man.”
Shortly before his death, Noriega posted a video of himself to his TikTok account, which has 2.3 million followers. The video showed him lying on his side in bed with the words “Who else b thinking they gon d!€ young af,” written over the video.
Despite his struggles, Noriega was very open about his desires to help others deal with mental health and addiction. Earlier this week, he took to Instagram to share that he was hoping to create a safe space for people to talk about their path to wellness, and said that he was creating a Discord page for people to communicate with each other.
Noriega said that he hoped the Discord page would be a source of comfort for fellow young people who are struggling with addiction and mental illness.
“I would like to use the influence I’ve been given to create a space built on spreading awareness and normalizing talking about mental illness,” he wrote on Instagram on June 6. “My goal is to eventually open a rehab where people aren’t traumatized at the end of their recovery, and where the staff meetings are trusted people. One of the many things I’ve learnt while struggling with addiction was that surrounding yourself with negative people will only bring you down. For that reason this discord is meant to bring us all together and create a safe space where people can vent and help others through their tough times.”
