
Keenan Cahill, a popular YouTube creator who made lip-sync videos with celebrities like 50 Cent, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and more, died on Dec. 29 after open-heart surgery on Dec. 15. He was 27.
“Keenan is an inspiration and let’s celebrate by remembering all the content he created, artists he collaborated with, music he produced and the love he had for everyone who supported him over the years,” his official Facebook account posted on Friday, adding that his family has set up a GoFundMe account to help cover funeral costs.
Cahill had Maroteaux–Lamy syndrome, which can cause heart disease and physical limitations similar to dwarfism. Diagnosed at age 1, he had a bone marrow transplant in 1997 and several other surgeries throughout the years to help treat the genetic disease.
Related Stories

Why the Video Game Industry Can’t Shake Its Struggles

Abby Phillip's Wild Primetime 'NewsNight' Shows CNN Working for TV Boost
On his YouTube account, which has roughly 721,000 subscribers, Cahill’s videos have garnered more than 500 million views. He posted his first lip-sync video in August 2010 to Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” which has reached 58 million views. A year later, the pop star met up with Cahill in person and they filmed a video together.
Popular on Variety
Cahill’s most popular video was with 50 Cent, where they lip-synced “Down on Me,” to the tune of 60 million total views. He also collaborated with artists like Jason Derulo, David Guetta, LMFAO, Lil Jon, Sean Kingston, Pauly D and Andy Grammer. His videos were some of the early, widely shared hits from YouTube’s first few years, long before apps like Instagram, Vine or TikTok made viral videos a common part of social media. He also released two EPs and four singles on iTunes in the 2010s.
Read More About:
Jump to CommentsMore from Variety
‘Joker 2’ Director Says Arthur Fleck Was Never Joker: ‘He’s an Unwitting Icon’ and Joker Is ‘This Idea That Gotham People Put on Him’
New Live Music Data Suggests Cautious Optimism
Why Critically Panned ‘Joker 2’ Could Still Be in the Awards Race for Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix
Box Office: ‘Joker 2’ Singing Off-Key With $20 Million Opening Day
Disney vs. DirecTV Is a Different Kind of Carriage Battle
‘Joker 2’ Earns ‘D’ CinemaScore, Lowest Ever for Comic Book Movie
Most Popular
Inside the 'Joker: Folie à Deux' Debacle: Todd Phillips ‘Wanted Nothing to Do’ With DC on the $200 Million Misfire
‘Kaos’ Canceled After One Season at Netflix
‘Menendez Brothers’ Netflix Doc Reveals Erik’s Drawings of His Abuse and Lyle Saying ‘I Would Much Rather Lose the Murder Trial Than Talk About Our…
Kathy Bates Won an Oscar and Her Mom Told Her: ‘You Didn't Discover the Cure for Cancer,’ So ‘I Don't Know What All the Excitement Is About…
Saoirse Ronan Says Losing Luna Lovegood Role in ‘Harry Potter’ Has ‘Stayed With Me Over the Years’: ‘I Was Too Young’ and ‘Knew I Wasn't Going to Get…
‘Joker 2’ Director Says Arthur Fleck Was Never Joker: ‘He's an Unwitting Icon’ and Joker Is ‘This Idea That Gotham People Put on Him…
‘Joker 2’ Axed Scene of Lady Gaga’s Lee Kissing a Woman at the Courthouse Because ‘It Had Dialogue in It’ and ‘Got in the Way’ of a Music…
Andrew Garfield Says Sex Scene With Florence Pugh in ‘We Live in Time’ Went a ‘Little Bit Further’ Than Intended: ‘We Never Heard Cut…
‘Skyfall’ Director Sam Mendes Says James Bond Studio Prefers Filmmakers ‘Who Are More Controllable’: ‘I Would Doubt’ I’d…
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried to Star in ‘The Housemaid’ Adaptation From Director Paul Feig, Lionsgate
Must Read
- Film
COVER | Sebastian Stan Tells All: Becoming Donald Trump and Starring in 2024’s Most Controversial Movie
By Andrew Wallenstein 3 weeks
- TV
Menendez Family Slams Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ as ‘Grotesque’ and ‘Riddled With Mistruths’: ‘The Character Assassination of Erik and Lyke Is Repulsive…
- TV
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Part 2 to Air on CBS After Paramount Network Debut
- TV
50 Cent Sets Diddy Abuse Allegations Docuseries at Netflix: ‘It’s a Complex Narrative Spanning Decades’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- Shopping
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Sets Digital and Blu-ray/DVD Release Dates
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2Bjp2goKGklrlwu8Giq66Zop6ytHnPnqappJViu6bD0miinp2elrtur8ChoKWkXZmyorCMsqaurKWXsm64yKlkrLGemHpyfpJua3BuZG6DcA%3D%3D