YouTube teen star dies suddenly, but the cause is still unknown
What happened to YouTube personality Caleb Logan Bratayley?
Police in Maryland say the 13-year-old boy, real name Caleb LeBlanc, who appeared in his family's YouTube video blog and his own YouTube posts about playing the game Minecraft, died after a still mysterious medical emergency last week.
Anne Arundel County Police said Monday that the teen died Thursday at a hospital. Police and members of the fire department responded to his home about 7 p.m. and found him suffering an "unknown medical emergency."
Police say in a release that "there are no suspicious circumstances" and that there is no criminal investigation of the child's death.
The cause of death is pending an autopsy by a medical examiner in Baltimore, police said..
Lt. Ryan Frashure told the Associated Press the child was known as Caleb Logan Bratayley in his family's online video series called Bratayleys.
They are among scores of previously obscure Americans who have become famous around the world by opening up their lives to all and sundry on such websites as YouTube.
Since 2010, the family has posted daily videos that have racked up more than 1 billion views just on YouTube, according to Variety, quoting data from Tubular Labs. Their most popular episode generated over 22 million views on YouTube.
Caleb's mother, Katie, announced the news of his death on Friday on the family's Instagram page, writing that he "passed away from natural causes" and asking for privacy.
"This has come as a shock to all of us. Words cannot describe how much we will miss him," she wrote. His incredibly funny, loving and wonderful spirit made us all fall in love with him as a YouTuber, friend, brother and son. We know you tune in to watch each day and eagerly anticipate new videos, but ask that you bear with us while we deal with this tragedy as a family."
More than 200,000 people have responded with comments, including Maker Studios, the Walt Disney-owned digital-media company that represents Bratayley online along with thousands of other "acts." The studio issued a statement on Instagram and Twitter.
“We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of Caleb from Bratayley, a beloved member of the Maker family. Our love, support, thoughts, and prayers are with the Bratayley family.”
YouTube also expressed condolences, in a statement to The Wrap saying the youngster was a "beloved member of the YouTube community."
Caleb had just appeared in a video the day before his death, looking fine while eating breakfast with his mother and two younger sisters, Annie, 10, and Hayley, 7.
Contributing: The Associated Press