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Keenan Cahill, the YouTube star who created viral lip-syncing videos with celebrities including Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and 50 Cent, has died. He was 27.
The social media personality, who was diagnosed with the rare genetic disorder Maroteaux Lamy Syndrome at the age of 1, died Thursday after developing complications following a recent open-heart surgery, according to a GoFundMe set up by his family.
"We are sad to announce the passing of Keenan Cahill," a post on Cahill's official Facebook page read.
Keenan Cahill, the YouTube star who created viral lip-syncing videos with celebrities including Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and 50 Cent, has died. He was 27. (Alyse Gilbert/Young Hollywood/Getty Images)
It continued, "Keenan is an inspiration and let’s celebrate by remembering all the content he created, artists he collaborated with, music he produced and the love he had for everyone who supported him over the years."
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The GoFundMe was organized by Cahill's aunt Katie Owens, the sister of his mother Erin Cahill, in order to pay for the costs of his medical and funeral expenses.
"We are devastated to announce that our nephew, Keenan Cahill, passed away on December 29th at the age of 27," Owens wrote on GoFundMe. "Twelve days earlier he had open heart surgery and was starting to recover, but complications arose that he couldn't overcome."
She continued, "Keenan had Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, which is a progressive condition that causes many tissues and organs to enlarge, become inflamed or scarred, and eventually waste away."
"He was first diagnosed at the age of 1. Because of his rare disease, he has had countless surgeries over his short life including a bone marrow transplant."
Born in Elmhurst, Illinois, Cahill became one of the first YouTube stars after rising to fame with his popular lip-syncing videos that he began posting on the platform in 2010. Cahill's channel currently has 725,000 subscribers and over 500 million views. His first video, in which he lip-synced to Katy Perry's hit song "Teenage Dream," went viral and has 58 million views. The clip caught Perry's attention, and she reached out to Cahill.
Other stars who collaborated in videos with the internet celebrity included Justin Bieber,Birtney Spears, Ariana Grande, Nick Cannon, David Guetta, Jason Derulo, Tyra Banks and DJ Pauly D. ( Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
The two met in 2011 during her California Dreams tour and the pop superstar joined Cahill for a duet of "Teenage Dream" that was posted on his YouTube channel.
In November 2010, 50 Cent appeared in a video on Cahill's channel in which the two lip-synced to the rapper's song with Jeremih "Down on Me."
Other stars who collaborated in videos with the internet celebrity included Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Nick Cannon, David Guetta, Jason Derulo, Tyra Banks and DJ Pauly D.
In 2011, Cahill appeared with Jennifer Aniston in a commercial for SmartWater. Cahill also joined electronic music duo LMFAO on stage for a performance at the 2011 American Music Awards.
Cahill also joined electronic music duo LMFAO on stage for a performance at the 2011 American Music Awards. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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The Youtuber appeared along with Adam Levine, Sia and Ryan Tedder in the music video for Sara Bareilles' 2011 song "Uncharted."
Owens noted on the GoFundMe page that Cahill "never made a lot of money, but he enjoyed what he was doing and brought smiles to the faces of so many people."
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After news of his passing broke, Pauly D shared a tribute to Cahill on Twitter. He posted a photo of himself with Cahill and wrote, "Rip Keenan. Thank You for always making the world smile."
Perez Hilton shared a video of his duet with Cahill featuring the Maroon 5 song "Moves Like Jagger" and tweeted, "Rest in Love."
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