YouTube star Caleb Logan Bratayley tragically passed away on Oct. 1 at just 13 years old. The Bratayley family is well-known, and well-loved, on the popular streaming site for their daily vlogs, so it only made sense that they would live broadcast Caleb's memorial service for their hundreds of thousands of fans as a way to allow them to virtually be there and remember the hilarious and bright young star.
The emotional memorial service took place on Tuesday, and was streamed live via Facebook and Periscope, and was viewed by thousands of people, according to People. Within just an hour of it posting, it was viewed more than 116,000 times.
It started off with video highlights remembering his well-documented life, and then had many friends and family play tribute to Caleb. The immediate family's messages were not streamed live for everyone to see as those were more personal and private.
"Win, lose, or draw, he hit the field with the same intensity and drive. He was every coach's dream player," one of his coaches, Coach Daniel, said, according to Us Weekly. "He was so fun. He was easygoing. He never asked for anything. He just went along with the flow and his smile was definitely contagious. He could light up a room."
His cousin Paige also spoke about how close the two were. "He was like a little brother to me," she said. "He loved life and enjoyed every little bit of it."
One close family friend, Paula, even shared a heartbreaking story about how close her daughter Sydney and Caleb were. "Unfortunately, the thought that Sydney and Caleb would end up together is not happening anymore," she said through tears, according to People. "I do hope and pray for my daughter that the relationship you have with your future mate is one-eighth as emotionally tied as yours was with Caleb."
A member of Maker Studios, which represents the Bratayley Family, remembered his experience traveling the country with Caleb.
"Most importantly, we explored the world together and we had so much fun," he said. "It takes a certain curiosity and fearlessness and passion to explore the world, and Caleb exuded this. As far as I'm concerned, the Bratayleys have already made history. Their love for each other and their excitement for life has connected millions of people and the world is a happier place because of them."
While all the people who played tributes had nothing but amazing things to say about Caleb and his family, some people found it a little strange that they chose to broadcast such a private and emotional event live on the Internet. But considering their entire lives for the past five years have been made public on YouTube, it really wasn't that strange for them.
Fellow social media star Cameron Dallas believes it "needed" to be livestreamed, according to TMZ. He went on to explain that the family's millions of fans "were a part of him" and none of this is seen as oversharing in any way. Even the Bratayley family themselves announced that they would be streaming it live "due to an outpouring of support and people's hope to be part of his memorial."
Caleb's death came as a shock to everyone, as he died of natural causes. A few days after his death, his parents told ABC News that the family has a history of "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy," which is a heart condition that can go undetected. People suffering "have few, if any, symptoms," the Mayo Clinic explained. It eventually can cause undetected abnormal heart rhythms, which can be serious and deadly, which is what happened with Caleb.
"We'll have more definitive answers in the coming weeks," the family said. "But ask that you help us celebrate his life instead of focus on his death."
Watch some of the live moments on the family's Periscope HERE.
Caleb's death has raised many questions about how and why this could happen to a seemingly healthy boy. Sadly, tests...
Posted by Bratayley on Tuesday, October 6, 2015
