It’s always awful when young people die too early, and the news of Keenan Cahill’s death is no exception.
With his humorous lip-syncing videos, the adored YouTube star made millions grin and became a social media celebrity overnight in 2010.
Unfortunately, his life ended on December 29, 2022.
He had a particular charm and emanated an infectious enthusiasm – one couldn’t help but grin when one watched the little lad performing the most popular hit tunes of the time.
Keenan released his first lip synced YouTube video in 2010, performing “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry. Soon after, his videos went viral, and he became famous all over the world.
But it was one video in particular that launched the beloved Keenan to online fame.
Keenan and 50 Cent released a video together in November 2010. The pair recreated the rapper’s song “Down on Me” with Jeremih, and it was an enormous hit. It received 60 million views, and at the height of his fame, Keenan had guest musicians lined up to appear on his channel.
He sung songs and made lip-sync videos with some of the greatest stars in the entertainment world, including Jennifer Aniston, Flo Rida, Maroon 5, Cody Simpson, Jason Derulo, and Justin Bieber.
According to reports Keenan was the first YouTube user to exceed 500 million views on his channel. He was nominated for the J-14 Awards’ Viral Web Star award, and his life was also documented in a one-hour documentary that was broadcast in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
The humorous YouTuber has released his own music on iTunes, producing 18 songs and two EPs.
He wanted to put a song out there to prove to people that he is capable of being more than just a lip-syncer on YouTube, Cahill said of his first track “Hands Up.” He figured, if he can sing, why not write his own music and accomplish something he always wanted to do.
Keenan Cahill, born in Elmhurst, Illinois in 1995, was diagnosed with Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome as a baby.
People with MPS normally have no symptoms at birth, but the rare genetic ailment causes numerous tissues and organs to grow and scar over time. Keenan had a bone marrow transplant in 1997 to reduce the disease’s progression, yet he was compelled to live with it for the remainder of his life.
In 2011, when Medpagetoday spoke with Keenan, he was getting weekly injections as well as a treatment known as “enzyme replacement therapy.” The Illinois native underwent multiple procedures over the years, including one to alleviate cerebral pressure.
Cahill had open heart surgery on December 15 at a Chicago-area hospital, despite the difficulties.
He was placed on life support, as per his management, yet doctors were unable to save his life. He was 27.
Even though it had been a few years after Keenan’s big break, he still maintained a sizable social media following.
He revealed details about his most recent endeavor a few weeks ago, when he collaborated with artist Jillian Jensen AKA “Rain.” In December, he shared one of his final Instagram updates, in which he informed his fans on his health state.
The news of Keenan’s death breaks my heart. He had a nice attitude and a lively energy, and his YouTube videos brought a lot of joy to others!
Rest in peace!
