A cause of death for Joshua Blackledge, a TikTok influencer known for his viral car and lip-syncing content, has been confirmed nearly three months after he was discovered dead inside his North Carolina home.
The 16-year-old social media star died by suicide on March 18, according documents from the state medical examiner’s office, which were obtained by People.
Blackledge had already suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head by the time he was found by a loved one inside a residence in Newport, officials said. In addition to the firearm Blackledge used, authorities also recovered a teddy bear, a note and a picture from the scene. No drug paraphernalia was present at the time.
Blackledge had more than 1 million followers on TikTok, a fanbase amassed through clips featuring snippets of his life as a high schooler, hanging out and lip-syncing with his friends in addition to videos about vehicles. His death came just four days after his last social media post, which featured a white pickup truck.
Blackledge’s girlfriend, Emmie Gillikin, also a fixture on his TikTok grid, took to social media to remember her late boyfriend on June 7, marking what would have been their 11-month anniversary.
“I wish you were here to be celebrating with me but I know you are up in heaven. I miss you more than anything, each day gets harder and harder but knowing one day I’ll be up there with you makes things easier,” she captioned the tribute. “Continue keeping me safe Josh I see you every single evening . I love you Josh don’t ever forget that, can’t wait to see you up there waiting for me.”
