Best known for his TikTok content featuring cars and glimpses into his youthful life with friends and family, which garnered millions of likes, Joshua Blackledge was reported to have passed away on March 18 at just 16 years old. He was considered a rising star with 1 million followers on TikTok.
According to his obituary, Blackledge took his last breath in his home at Newport, North Carolina. His family has kept the cause of his death private.
The news was a huge shock to his supporters after his last video was posted last March 14 showing him and his friends posing and standing at the back of a white pick-up truck having fun, days before he was announced to have gone on.
His girlfriend, Emily Gillikin, who was mostly featured on his page apart from his usual content lip-syncing or showing other car models with friends, paid tribute to their time together in multiple videos posted on her account with some of their best memories. While Gillikin was consoling herself through her posts, she also took the time to console other viewers and followers in the comment section, sharing the same sentiment of grief and longing.
@f30joshhbae thought she could do my hair♬ original sound –
Joshua was a junior attending West Carteret High School in Morehead City. His obituary shared that he was heavily involved in physical hobbies such as wrestling and track, and had “a passion for the outdoors and loved being around water, whether fishing or boating with friends.” It added, “He also had a love for cars and trucks.” His mother shared that he had an energetic spirit and loved nature, noting that he was a son who would help her with cooking, gardening, and yard work.
To wish him well in the afterlife, the final statements shared in his obituary wrote, “May his memory bring comfort to all those who mourn his passing.” Joshua’s followers have wished him peace in his last few posts uploaded and remarked that he will always be remembered for the joy he brought among his friends, family, and his supporters.
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