GoFundMe Gabe Salazar, known as GabeNotBabe on TikTok, was killed in a Texas car crash.
Gabe Salazar was a TikTok star from Texas known as GabeNotBabe who has died at the age of 19 in a car crash, family and friends say. Salazar was killed in the crash on Sunday, September 26, 2021, according to a GoFundMe campaign started to help his family.
“Dont really want to get into details because it’s so hard for us to even talk about the pain he went through. Never expected this happen but now you’re watching over us,” Chris Vazquez, who started the GoFundMe, wrote on the campaign’s page. “Gabriel loved his family and was always horsing around with her sister and little brother. He was always there with a big hug and smile, and his family will never forget those warm moments. He was so funny with a quiet sense of humor and sarcasm. I cannot believe that I am sitting here writing this. How is this real life?”
Salazar had more than 1.2 million followers on his GabeNotBabe account on TikTok, and also posted on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. His rising social media stardom was documented in San Antonio Magazine in 2020 and by the San Antonio Express-News in 2021.
Salazar told San Antonio Magazine during a 2020 interview, “I never thought I’d be where I am, but I am so thankful for all my followers. Everyone wants the hype. TikTok definitely has the power to get you that.” The Express-News wrote about Salazar, “Born in Brownsville and now based in San Antonio, Gabriel Salazar has amassed more than 1.3 million followers on TikTok. Like many influencers, his content – which is mostly lip-syncing clips and short skits – has taken off on the platform. Though he doesn’t share content related to San Antonio living, you can see shots of the Alamo City in some of his TikToks.”
Details of the Deadly Car Crash Were Not Immediately Available
It was not immediately clear where the crash that killed Gabriel Salazar occurred, or other details, including the time of the accident. Salazar’s family and friends have not posted any information about the crash itself on GoFundMe or social media.
On the GoFundMe page, which raised nearly $20,000 as of September 27, Vazquez wrote, “Words cannot express the heartbreak our entire community is feeling from the loss of our Gabriel. Your family and friends miss you. We are asking for support for his family. There will be time missed from work and funeral expenses that will be too much for his family to afford. Please consider donating and help relieve at least that sorrow and strain for his parents.”
Salazar’s final TiKTok video was posted four days before his death. The video, which has more than four million views, shows Salazar lip-synching to the song “ireallylike2usecash x raya” by nimue.
On Instagram, Salazar’s profile reads, “Idk how i got here but im glad i did.” Salazar began posting on TikTok in February 2020 and had more than 8,000 videos posted to the social media site.
Tributes to ‘GabeNotBabe’ Have Poured in on Social Media
Tributes to Salazar from friends and other social media stars poured in after news that he was dead began trending online on September 26 and September 27. Ricky Flores, known on TikTok as “theyluvricky,” wrote on Instagram, “rest easy brother.😖🕊 words can’t even explain how i feel right now. man i would do anything to get you back right now bro.💔 LONG LIVE GABE🕊”
A fan wrote on Twitter, “one of my favorite tiktokers (gabenotbabe) passed away in a car crash & he had just posted a story on ig driving not even 24hrs ago… it’s so sad seeing young people w so much potential & life to live, die so fast & young. it’s so scary 😞 i don’t want to grow up.”
Another tweeted, “Such a beautiful human taken away too soon. Just always a questioning why the purest souls gets taken away. #gabenotbabe a smile will never be forgotten 🕊” In another tweet, a fan wrote, “he had the prettiest smile :’) and he had sm ahead of him. this one hits harder than others.”
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