Social media influencer Adam Perkins died Sunday at age 24.
The Vine star, known best for his viral video clip Welcome to Chili’s, died of undisclosed conditions and his twin brother, Patrick, took to Instagram to share the sad news.
Losing part of his identity — Adam Perkins’ brother speaks
“My brother, Adam Perkins, passed away this previous Sunday, 4-11-21. i can’t even really put into words what this loss means for me. i’m often asked the question, “what’s it like to be a twin?” and my response is usually, ‘what’s it like to NOT be a twin?’ being a twin is a very central part of my identity.”
“It’s all i’ve known. and i’m struggling to find the words to explain what it will be like for me to live in this world without him. my best friend. in his honor, I will be releasing his album “Latch Relay” on a limited edition vinyl. it will be the first release on Plas Teg Records ( @plas.teg ), a label that will seek to fulfill his musical destiny that was so tragically cut short. i love you, my best friend Adam. 1997-forever”
Adam’s family, friends, and fans alike are mourning the star’s sudden death. Perkins’ ex-boyfriend, Kelton Elliot, shared his sorrow for the passing of his ex-partner in a lengthy letter posted to his Instagram page.
“We were there for each other”
“This past weekend my forever best friend and ex-boyfriend passed, and I’ve been devastated,” Elliot shared on his Instagram page.
“We spent almost every day and night in 2020 and 2021 together in our little home until I temporarily relocated to Oregon. We were there for each other during the hardest year of our lives. I could and have talked about him for hours, but I’m just saying one thing right now: Me and him discussed how we’d want to be remembered after we died, and he said he’d like to be remembered for his art, his music,” he said.
Adam achieved viral stardom with his Chili’s video, posted in 2015 originally to the now-defunct platform Vine, gaining over 20 million loops in under a year. Perkins maintained a high following on Instagram and proclaimed himself a “composer, musician, spreadsheet wizkid.”
After Vine shut down in 2017, Perkins continued posting to Tik Tok and other social media platforms but devoted much of his time to his college studies at New York University. He graduated with a musical composition degree.
Adam’s last post to Instagram showed a photo of himself wearing glasses at a desk with the caption, “remember adam from vine? he’s 24 now and a business analyst working in data. feel old yet? copying packie because we’re twins and supposed to do that.”