The 79-year-old Internet personality and video creator Ronald Williams, best known for being the TikTok Grandad, passed away earlier this week. His grandson took over this TikTok account, with 9.1 million followers, to deliver this news to his fans and encourage them to reflect on Williams’ impact.
What happened?
This week, Williams’ grandson, Ryan Adams, shared a devastating video on his grandfather’s TikTok and YouTube accounts. He tearfully announced Williams’ passing and expressed, “My grandpa meant so much to me, he taught me how to be myself. He broke my shyness — nothing would bother this man, he was full of joy.”
He went on to describe his grandfather as “his best friend” and reassured his viewers that Williams is “in a better place” and “isn’t in pain anymore.”
Adams also shared that outside of social media, Williams would refer to his followers as “his grandkids” and their presence in his life genuinely made him happy. Since this video was uploaded, many fans have been posting tribute videos to the late TikToker, sharing their condolences and brightest memories of him.
On YouTube, the video is captioned, “Hello everyone this is the Grandson Ryan. This day was very hard and it still doesn’t seem real. He was so amazing and his soul was so pure and full of joy and happiness. I couldn’t ask for a better Grandpa. Forever in our hearts and he will be watching over all of us. He’s now in peace with the angels up in heaven.”
Williams’ YouTube account has been updated to read, “In Loving Memory Ronald Williams 1941-2021.”
Who was Ronald Williams?
Ronald Williams was an online entertainer, active on social media and YouTube. He often collaborated with his grandson to make comedy videos. He originally went by the username @grandpa_lou_pickles, in reference to the iconic grandpa from the Rugrats cartoons, but eventually he rebranded himself as @ronaldwilliamsoffical on Instagram and TikTok — leaving his YouTube channel name the same.
On his Youtube, he has 45 uploaded videos and a total of 42.4 thousand subscribers. As of now, his videos have been viewed a total of 294,963 times since he joined the platform in May 2019.
Weeks ago, it was announced that Williams was sick and in-and-out of the hospital, at one point he had even lost his voice. However, through this, his family and fans stayed positive and posted messages and “prayers” for a speedy recovery.
A few of these posts were edited into a video that is currently on Williams’ YouTube.
These videos across Williams’ social channels and the recent update have garnered touching tributes from all of his fans. Comedian Daddy Long Neck wrote, “Rest easy grandpa, so sorry for your lost Ryan! I’m here if you need someone to lean on.”
Another fan expressed, “Rest easy angel. You’ve made me so happy.”
Many of Ronald Williams videos can be viewed on his TikTok account.