YouTube personality Grant Thompson died on Monday, July 29, after a paragliding accident. He was 38.
The news was confirmed on Thompson’s official Instagram page alongside a photo of him on Tuesday, July 30.
“It is with great sadness to inform everyone that Grant Thompson passed away last night. Grant had great love and appreciation for his fans. We invite you to share your thoughts for Grant and the channel in the comments,” the message read. “Please do a random act of love or kindness today in honor of The King of Random. Grant’s legacy will live on in the channel and the global community he created.”
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Utah — where Thompson lived — shared details of his tragic death in a lengthy Facebook post on Tuesday, but withheld his name. The post revealed officials were able to locate him via GPS after they “received a report of an overdue paraglider.”
“Detectives were able to recover the paragliding equipment along with a video recording device,” the Sheriff’s office reported. “We are currently reviewing the video to determine factors which led to the aircraft crash.”
Thompson’s “King of Random” YouTube channel has nearly 12 million subscribers and hundreds of videos.
Tributes to Thompson flooded the comments section of his Instagram post, with messages from other YouTubers including Justine Ezarik, also known as iJustine.
“Sending all my love to his friends, family and community. What a joy he brought to so many,” Ezarik wrote.
Matthew Santoro added a photo of Thompson to his Instagram page with a heartbreaking caption sharing that he is “in complete shock” and his “heart is broken.”
Santoro continued his post: “It’s with a heavy heart that, according to his Instagram, my friend @thekingofrandom , Grant Thompson, tragically passed away last night. Grant was always one of the most kind members of the @youtube community and a good friend. He will truly be missed. Rest In Peace Grant. You were one of the good ones.”
