The online video community is mourning Gaspi, the Argentine YouTuber whose real name was Gaspar Prim Díaz, who has died at the age of 23. According to reports, he died in a helicopter accident in Rio de Janeiro.
An unusual kind of comedy
Gaspi built a large following with absurd, surreal humour. His videos often set up awkward and uncomfortable situations that left viewers on edge before turning them into a joke, and his loud, outrageous on-screen alter ego became his trademark.
Friends describe a very different person off camera: shy, introverted and reflective. In recent times he had spoken publicly about changing his lifestyle and about personal growth.
Tributes from fellow creators
News of his death prompted messages from many of the best-known figures in Spanish-language streaming.
Xokas wrote that it was “incredible how unfair life is”, describing Gaspi as “one of the funniest and nicest guys I have known in my life”.
TheGrefg said he was in shock: “What a shock, what sadness, how empty.”
Cobra recalled conversations they had shared, and how Gaspi had told him he was proud of having changed his lifestyle. “People will remember you with a smile,” he wrote.
River Llanos and Jordi Wild also expressed their grief and disbelief, with Wild saying he had hoped at first that the news was not true.
His legacy
Gaspi was part of a generation of creators whose humour relies on the unexpected and the uncomfortable, and his popularity reflected how many young viewers connected with it. His openness about the gap between his online character and his private self also struck a chord with fans, many of whom shared their own memories of his videos after his death.
