TikTok star Cooper Noriega dead at 19

RIP

TikTok star and social media influencer Cooper Noriega has died at the age of 19. His death was confirmed on Thursday by Los Angeles Medical Examiner-Coroner after he was discovered unconscious in a shopping mall parking lot in Burbank, LA. Reporting hours later, US outlets say paramedics arrived on the scene shortly after but were unable to revive the young social media star. Sources told TMZ that Cooper was not in a vehicle at the time, there were no visible signs of trauma on his body and there is currently no suspicion of foul play. https://www.instagram.com/p/CecCW65PZOX/?hl=en The teen, whose posts revolved largely around fashion, comedy and skateboarding, is long thought to have suffered from mental health struggles and addiction and just a few days prior to his death, had set up a Discord to create a safe space for fans to discuss these issues and vent through their "tough times". Speaking to his 2.2 million TikTok followers, not to mention an audience of over half a million on Instagram, he wrote in an inaugural post: “I’ve been struggling with addiction since I was nine years old, you may think that’s crazy, but that’s the life I’ve been dealt. "I would like to use the influence I’ve been given to create a space built on spreading awareness and normalising talking about mental illness… “One of the many things I’ve learnt while struggling with addiction is that surrounding yourself with negative people will only bring you down.” Just hours before his death, the teen posted this short clip to TikTok with an unsettling caption referencing dying young:

@coopernoriegaor dis j me♬ original sound - :)

It is said that his cause of death has been deferred, meaning that “after an autopsy, a cause of death has not [yet] been determined and the medical examiner is requesting more investigation”. Rest in peace.

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