This article originally appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Leena Nasir
Michael Duarte, the food influencer known online as “FoodWithBearHands,” died at 36 in what relatives are calling a “horrible incident.”
Duarte built an audience of more than 2 million across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, where he posted no-frills cooking videos. A GoFundMe page for his family said he died Saturday while traveling in Texas, just three days after he and his wife marked their ninth wedding anniversary. Few details have been released about the circumstances of his death.
The GoFundMe had raised nearly $62,000 of its $100,000 goal as of Tuesday.
“We ask that you lift Michael’s family up in prayer during this extremely difficult time, especially for his 6 year old daughter Oakley, and his wife Jessica,” the donation page reads. “This heartbreak came without warning, leaving Jessica to incur the expense of bringing him back home to California and covering funeral expenses.”
The organizers added that they want to ensure “Jessica and Oakley are taken care of as Michael would have wanted,” saying donations would offer “comfort, stability, and a reminder that they are not carrying this weight alone.”
Duarte’s talent agency, Alooma Media Group, confirmed his death in a Monday Instagram post, calling him “a devoted husband to his wife Jessica, a loving father to his daughter, brother and a loyal friend to so many around the world.”
“Michael’s passing is a tremendous loss to all who knew him. His legacy of integrity, compassion, and dedication will continue to live on through the lives he touched,” the agency wrote.
The GoFundMe page said funeral details would be shared soon.
The exact cause of death has not been released.
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