When 33-year-old TikTok food reviewer waffler69 (Taylor LeJeune) unexpectedly died on January 11, 2023, his brother told the public that he has passed from a presumed heart attack. Now, his brother has an update with the real cause of death.
Because Taylor had a family history of heart disease and he died so suddenly, it was initially assumed that a heart condition had led to his death. Taylor had actually passed away after suffering a pulmonary embolism, which is went a blood clot travels to the lungs, usually from the legs.
When someone suddenly dies, their death is often characterized as a “cardiac arrest,” meaning that the heart has stopped beating. Because of the language, many people assume cardiac arrest means heart attack, but this isn’t true.
The cause of cardiac arrest can be a heart attack, but a myriad of other issues can lead to cardiac arrest, as was the case with Taylor.
Taylor’s brother Clayton, who goes by “Claydorm” on TikTok, posted a video with the update and also thanked everyone for the massive amount of love and support the family has been receiving.
@claydorm Some updates for y’all. Thank you so much 🖤
The family has currently exceeded the goal of the GoFundMe goal they set up to cover Taylor’s medical and funeral costs.
“I don’t have words to describe for how good that feels,” Clayton said in the video. “For how many people my brother genuinely touched and helped, it’s unfathomable.”
Waffler69 built his large online following with by reviewing extreme food. Sometimes the food was more recently produced like the novelty big fruit loop that came out last year from a Brooklyn-based art collective called MSCHF.
His exuberant personality added an upbeat vibe to his content.
Other times, though, he would taste decades old food, like this 1960s canned ham.
He did want to make it clear that he will not continue his brother’s legacy of trying unhealthy, weird, and/or expired food. Claytonhas his own social media following where he shares his life and also features healthy recipes.
Clayton followed up with a video addressing his distaste for people linking Taylor’s pulmonary embolism with vaccines.
@claydorm I would love for these types of ignorant comments to stop (:
What is a pulmonary embolism?
According to the Mayo Clinic, a pulmonary embolism “occurs when a clump of material, most often a blood clot, gets stuck in an artery in the lungs, blocking the flow of blood.”
If not caught in time, a pulmonary embolism can be fatal. However, it can be treated.
Experts advise to seek immediate emergency help if you have “unexplained shortness of breath, chest pain, or fainting.”
Usually the blood clot from pulmonary embolisms form in the legs, which is caused deep vein deep vein thrombosis, or DVP. Treating DVP can help prevent a pulmonary embolism.
