Understanding the grief and health concerns behind celebrity deaths
The death of a celebrity often triggers collective mourning and, for some, serious health concerns. Here’s why it happens and how to take care of yourself.
American fitness influencer Connor Murphy has reportedly passed away at the age of 32.
Murphy, known for his “Looks Max” and workout content on social media, drowned in a lake near his luxury rental property in Thailand’s Bang Phli district on Tuesday, June 7, according to local media outlets Bangkok Post and Thai Rat.
Around 3pm local time, Samut Prakan police responded to a report of a man who became agitated and acted erratically after Murphy tried to get into a passerby’s car and was refused. When police arrived, the content creator reportedly fled to the village’s lake and swam until he became exhausted and eventually drowned.
After searching for about 30 minutes, rescue divers recovered Murphy’s body about 65 feet away and brought it to shore, according to reports. According to reports, his body showed no signs of assault and was sent to a hospital for an autopsy.
A subsequent search of Murphy’s car revealed two unused syringes and a bag containing several white pills, the Bangkok Post reported.
A rental property where Murphy and his unnamed 22-year-old girlfriend had been living for three months was also destroyed. His girlfriend reportedly told authorities that the content creator covered the entire house, including the appliances, with paint while he was sleeping in the middle of the night.
She said the two had been together for three years but started living together a few months before the incident, and that she had never seen Murphy display any concerning behavior before. Investigation is ongoing.
USA TODAY has reached out to Thai police for comment.
Fitness influencers react to Connor Murphy’s death
Several of Murphy’s friends, including bodybuilder John Skywalker Brannon, Korean bodybuilder Phil, and fitness coach Patrick Lyons, confirmed his death in Instagram tributes.
In a lengthy message, Lyons wrote that Murphy “fundamentally changed the course of my life through the impact he had on my content and my fans.” Additionally, Murphy claimed that he “experimented with illegal and extremely powerful drugs in 2020, which revealed a previously unknown underlying mental illness” and “degenerated into psychosis, transforming Connor into a very different person than the person I once knew.”
Lyons speculated that Murphy’s cause of death was “manic or psychotic, probably due to PEDs and mind-altering drugs.”
Murphy took over social media following YouTube in the 2010s and became part of the “lookmax” trend, where people strive for physical perfection. This includes strenuous exercise, substance use, and surgery.
Murphy’s last upload to his YouTube channel, which had around 2.4 million followers, appeared less than a week before his death and was about death. In the one-minute video, he can be seen dancing, bouncing a basketball and pretending to play a mini violin while rock music plays in the background.
He concluded by saying that people “have an unhealthy relationship with death.” The caption read, “Obituary pending. This is a purely satirical performance. This dramatization is not a depiction of real events. Nothing in this video should be reproduced and everything performed complies with all laws and regulations.”
He also posted multiple videos and skits on his Instagram page in recent days.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health resources or support, call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for access to our free and confidential service 24/7.
