Teen YouTube star Alex Dragomir, aka Sir Kipsta, who was remembered for his passion for the Manchester United soccer team, died on Thursday following a cardiac surgery. He was only 17. The avid Manchester United fan had been suffering from a rare heart condition since childhood and unfortunately lost his battle with the disease after a brief stay at hospital.
Dragomir's death was confirmed by his sister via Twitter on Friday. Dragomir was undergoing a heart transplant surgery that lasted for over seven hours. However, he collapsed after sometime after being unable to bear the pressure.
Untimely Death
The YouTuber's death came as a shock to millions of his fans after they were excited to learn that he had a successful heart transplant. However, he couldn't take the post operative stress and succumbed on Friday.
"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," Dragomir's sister wrote on Twitter. "Heaven gained another angel he was my rock my everything. RIP Alex."
Last month, Sir Kipsta updated his fans that he had been advised to stay in hospital for an indefinite period of time until the heart transplant. During his time at the NHS, Sir Kipsta constantly posted about his health and recorded YouTube videos from the hospital to spread hope and positivity.
Days before his surgery, the Manchester United fan had 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.
Losing the Fight
After Dragomir's health condition came to light, his followers created a GoFundMe page to render financial aid to his mother. Alex's mom had to quit her job to be by her son's side. However, that didn't help much.
That said, Dragomir was quite open about his illness and knew that he was fighting almost a lost battle. Last month, he notified his 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.
Despite all that, Dragomir kept posting videos of football till his last days. His last video, filmed from hospital, received more than 38,000 views. Dragomir had more than 27,000 YouTube subscribers. He also posted videos about his struggles with his heart condition.
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."
