Keenan Cahill, a popular YouTuber who has made lip-sync videos with celebrities including 50 Cent, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and others, died Thursday after undergoing open heart surgery on December 15.
he was 27
“Keenan is an inspiration and let’s celebrate by remembering all of the content he’s created, artists he’s worked with, music he’s produced and the love he had for all who have supported him over the years,” his official Facebook account posted on Friday, adding that his family has set up a GoFundMe account to help cover funeral expenses.
Keenan Cahill in Los Angeles on November 18, 2012.Michael Bezjian/WireImage
Cahill had Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome, which, like dwarfism, can lead to heart disease and physical limitations. Diagnosed at the age of 1, he had a bone marrow transplant in 1997 and several other surgeries over the years to treat the genetic disease.
On his YouTube account, which has around 721,000 subscribers, Cahill’s videos have garnered more than 500 million views. He posted his first lip-synched video to Perry’s Teenage Dream in August 2010, which has garnered 58 million views.
A year later, the pop star met Cahill in person and they shot a video together.
Cahill’s most popular video was with 50 Cent, where they lip-synched “Down on Me” to the tune, totaling 60 million views. He has also collaborated with artists such as Jason Derulo, David Guetta, LMFAO, Lil Jon, Sean Kingston, Pauly D and Andy Grammer.
His videos were among the early, widespread hits of YouTube’s early years, long before apps like Instagram, Vine, or TikTok made viral videos a common part of social media. He also released two EPs and four singles on iTunes in the 2010s.
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