Inspirational teen YouTube star Alex Dragomir, a k a Sir Kipsta, who was remembered for his passion for the Manchester United soccer team and his ability to remain upbeat, died Thursday following cardiac surgery. He was 17.
His sister alerted followers on his Twitter account Thursday night that, after a seven-hour heart transplant operation, he had passed.
“Helllo, as you all might already know my brother passed away today he had a very hard operation which lasted 7 hours but his heart couldn’t take it anymore, he was too weak to survive,” she wrote. “Heaven gained another angel he was my rock my everything. RIP Alex.”
The British teen had blogged and streamed about his bout with illness from his hospital bed in the days leading up to his death.
Prior to his surgery, he posted an update from the intensive care unit, urging his supporters to “pray” for his recovery.
“Going in for a life saving procedure if it don’t work then it’s been a great time people thank you for all you’ve done for me but we pray we see it through and we pray we get fatter and fitter after it for them to see progress and not say they can’t do anything after surgery,” Dragomir wrote.
He was open about his illness, keeping his viewers up to date about his journey. A month prior, he notified followers that he would be moved into the hospital full-time while he waited for a heart transplant. “After what I thought was a week of progression in hospital, I’ve been hit with very very hard news for a 17 year old to take,” he wrote.
During the month he was in the hospital, Dragomir kept his spirits up by livestreaming from his YouTube account. From telling stories to uploading food reviews, his effort to stay positive through a dark time inspired his encouraging viewers, whose flow of endless support kept him upbeat.
“That’s what gets me through,” he said in a post on June 5. “I promise I’ll give my best shot, and I won’t let nothing stop me from giving my best shot.”
His sister also echoed his sentiments in a post later on Thursday: “All the messages kept his head up. He carried on due to all the nice support he had from twitter.“
His followers even came together to raise money for his heart procedure, garnering more than 12,000 euros through the donation platform GoFundMe after his mother quit her job to support her son through his time in the hospital.
