WASHINGTON — Beauty blogger and influencer Ethan Peters, known as Ethan Is Supreme, has died at the age of 17.
Peters' father, Gerald, confirmed the news of his passing to Fox News on Sunday. Right now there is no official ruling, but Gerald said he was certain his death was a drug overdose.
"He was kind soul, who accepted everyone for who they were," Gerald Peters told Fox News. "He wanted nothing but to inspire, make people laugh and push the boundaries of what is acceptable in our world for All young people."
Ethan Is Supreme's friend and fellow influencer Ava Louise posted on social media to pay tribute and confirm his passing. She blamed his death on addiction.
"This right here is my best friend in the entire world. He was the only person I spoke to for months. I was all alone and struggling and Ethan inspired me again," Louise said on Instagram, explaining that the photo in the post was taken two weeks prior at Rutgers University. "We had our last FaceTime call last night and I am so so so sorry I cut it short. I can’t breathe. This is the worst pain I ever felt. [I've] lost friends but never a best friend."
Ethan had more than 500,000 Instagram followers and nearly 140,000 YouTube subscribers. He started his YouTube career in April of 2017.
Before breaking into the beauty industry, he ran a meme Instagram account that grew to 1.3 million followers before he sold it for $25,000 at 13 years old, according to People.
Some negative responses swirled on social media after the news of his passing was confirmed because he has been accused of racism and transphobia, BBC reported. However, fans and other beauty influencers like Jeffree Star and Tana Mongeau, Manny MUA, defended him online.