How Cooper Noriega rose to TikTok fame and became a mental health advocate before his death at 19

• California-based TikToker Cooper Noriega died on June 9 at 19 years old.
• He rose to fame with lip-sync and dance videos on the app, and collaborating with other TikTokers.

Cooper Noriega, a 19-year-old TikToker, died on Thursday June 9, 2022.

A Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner spokesperson told People that Noriega was pronounced dead in a parking lot in Burbank, California. The outlet reported that a cause of death had not been released at the time.

The TikToker's death was first reported by TMZ on June 10, and "BFFs," a YouTube podcast on which Noriega was featured as a guest in an episode posted on June 1, shared a tribute to the TikToker in a Twitter post later that same day.

News of the TikToker's death has led other high-profile influencers to pay tribute to his life and career on social media.

Here is how Noriega rose to fame on the app and became an outspoken advocate for mental health.

Noriega was known for posting lip-syncing and dancing videos on TikTok

Noriega, who was based in California, joined TikTok in June 2020, typically posting videos where he participated in dance trends on the app. He also often lip-synched to popular songs and TikTok sounds.

According to social-analytics website Social Blade, Noriega hit a million TikTok followers before the end of 2020, and his account now has 2.8 million followers.

He also posted content on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, amassing a cumulative total of more than 600,000 followers across these platforms.

Noriega rose to fame within the LA influencer scene and was close friends with members of the now-disbanded TikTok collective, Sway House. He often posted content with popular TikToker Nessa Barrett, who has 18 million followers on the app, referring to her as his close friend in his videos.

According to Dexerto, the TikToker also became involved in a relationship with fellow influencer Sabrina Quesada, who has 4.2 million TikTok followers, in late 2020. The outlet reported that the couple broke up in April 2022, with Quesada telling her fans that the split was a "mutual decision" and that Noriega was still her "best friend" in an Instagram story that is no longer available to view.

The TikToker previously discussed addiction and mental health on social media

In March 2021, Noriega said he "started taking pills" when he was still a child in an interview with Hollywire, a California-based news YouTube channel. He added that he was four months sober at the time and that former Sway House member Jaden Hossler had "saved" him by helping him to "become sober."

On June 5, days before his death, Noriega posted an Instagram announcement saying he was launching a server on the instant messaging and voice call app Discord, intended as a forum to openly discuss addiction and mental health.

"I've been struggling with addiction since I was 9 years old, you might think that's crazy, but that's the life I've been dealt," he wrote in the post, adding that his long-term goal was to "open a rehab" for people dealing with addiction.

Noriega also had plans to create a fashion line called The 28 Club, telling Hollywire that the brand would be focused on spreading "hope instead of fear," in March 2021. The TikToker did not share any other details about plans for the clothing line at the time.

Fellow influencers began paying tribute to Noriega after his death on June 9

Hours before his death, Noriega shared a TikTok video with an on-screen caption that said, "who else b thinking they gon [die] young af." The video now has more than 27 million views and 100,000 comments, with many people writing tributes about the TikToker's death.

On June 11, Noriega's family posted a statement on his Instagram account, saying, "his passing is an absolute tragedy to our family and loved ones. We pray that we all as a community can continue on his legacy."

Noriega's TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube accounts are still live and available to view, but nothing has been posted following his death.

According to Yahoo Entertainment, several high-profile influencers, such as Addison Rae and Blake Gray, also posted tributes to Noriega on their Instagram stories, which are no longer available to view.

Quesada, Noriega's ex-girlfriend, shared a picture of the TikToker on Instagram on June 10, writing that he was the "best thing" that ever happened to her. The post now has 1.4 million likes on the platform.

Noriega's long-term friend Nessa Barrett also wrote a tribute to the influencer on Instagram, which has 2.4 million likes, saying, "u had the biggest heart i've ever encountered on this earth. a heart way too big for u to even carry," and "it broke my heart knowing how much pain u carried when u were such a light to this world."

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