TikTok star Cooper Noriega was found dead at just 19-years-old in Burbank, California on June 9.
Noriega, who last week appeared as a guest on the Barstool’s BFF’s podcast with Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards and Bri Chickenfry, had just openly spoken on his battle with struggles with addiction and mental health.
TikTok Star Cooper Noriega Found Dead In Parking Lot At 19-Years-Old
In the days leading up to his death, Noriega shared on Instagram how he had created a group on Discord for people to talk about their experiences with their mental health.
He posted, “I’ve been struggling with addiction since I was nine years old, you might think that’s crazy, but that’s the life I’ve been dealt [with].”
“I would like to use the influence I’ve been given to create a space built on spreading awareness and normalizing talking about mental illness. My goal is to eventually open a rehab where people aren’t [traumatized] at the end of their recovery, and where the staff members are trusted people. One of the many things I’ve learned whilst struggling with addiction was that surrounding yourself with negative people will only bring you down. For that reason, this discord is meant to bring us all together and create a safe space where people can vent and help others through their tough times.”
Back in January 2021, Noriega tweeted about a near “overdose/suicide attempt” he had experienced that had led to him getting clean.
He wrote, “90 days clean!! its been hard but so much beauty during this process, its also crazy that 4 months ago i was at such a low point, I had a deadly overdose/suicide attempt on fent, when I stopped breathing and was rushed to the ER, luckily someone found me before it was to late:)”
Noriega was found dead in a car park in Burbank, California, on Thursday 9 June. The Coroner’s Office said that he was found on the 500 block of North First Street in Burbank, according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner-Coroner.
According to TMZ, law enforcement officers found Noriega unconscious after passerbys made a 911 call. The outlet reported that a source said that paramedics arrived on the scene, but were unable to revive Noriega.
An LA Medical Examiner-Coroner spokesperson told the outlet that Noriega’s cause of death has been deferred, which means “that after an autopsy, a cause of death has not been determined and the medical examiner is requesting more investigation.”
The spokesperson said: “Once the tests/studies come back, the doctor evaluates the case again and makes the cause of death determination.”
Just hours prior to his death, Cooper posted a video to his TikTok account of himself lying in bed with the caption: “Who else b thinking they gon die young [as f**k].”
This past Sunday, Noriega’s sister posted on his Instagram account on behalf of his family, after his death.
She wrote, “Hi everyone. On behalf of our family, we want to thank you all for the kind words of our little coop. His passing is an absolute tragedy to our family and loved ones. We pray that we all as a community can continue his legacy. He loved each and every one of you. People feel free to reach out to us as we love feeling all the support. Bless you all… with love, his sister.”
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Noriega’s father, Harold, also shared a statement on Facebook, in which he wrote, “Today has been an incredibly difficult time for my family and me. We lost our beautiful 19-year-old Cooper last evening. He was loved by so many and truly the love of Treva’s, Parker’s, and my life.”
“There are no words to express the grief and loss. It’s not supposed to be this way. Your child is not supposed to pass before his parents. Cooper has touched so many people. He recently started a chat on Discord which grew to thousands for those to have a safe place to talk about mental health. My boy was a believer and I know he is in the presence of God. Thank you, everyone. I love you all,” he added.
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