Corey La Barrie was one of the most beloved Australian YouTube stars, social media influencers, and aspiring actor whose positive attitude and comedy garnered him hundreds of thousands of fans. He was born in Adelaide, Australia, on May 10, 1995, and went on to create a successful digital career from scratch, working with some of YouTube’s most prominent stars. Unfortunately, his life came to a premature end on his 25th birthday at a Los Angeles, California., traffic accident, after which his career just beginning was cut short.
Early Life and background
Born and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Corey La Barrie nurtured his warm and outgoing personality in his close knit family. His father, Simon La Barrie, was a professional football player and his mother, Lissa Burton, a lifelong supporter and cheerleader. He grew up with his older sister, Jessica La Barrie, and his younger brother, Jarrad La Barrie, who is also a YouTuber.
Corey’s natural talent for entertaining began early in life. His family referred to him as the life of every room that he went into. He was also a big sport growing up, playing Australian football, tennis and basketball; his father was also competitive. However, his drive was towards the entertainment industry and throughout his teens he honed his acting abilities, with hopes of breaking into Hollywood.
Corey moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue his dreams, and graduated from San Clemente High School and then attended Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California. This was a game-changer, positioning him at the heart of an emerging trend in social media that would define his career – the influencer culture.
Navigate to Social Media stardom
In May 2012, Corey La Barrie first ventured into social media when he joined Twitter and started following the popular internet personalities. There was no mistaking his first tweet when he announced he’d be making a music video with Kian Lawley, Sam Pottorff and Ethan Featherstone, as he was making moves in influential circles. He developed a base of followers even before he created a YouTube video.
He started his YouTube channel on 6th January 2014, but it was inactive for more than a year. On February 29th, 2016, he eventually posted his first video, which was an egg roulette with Kian Lawley, and got the audience’s approval. From there, Corey went 100% into the content realm. He shared his challenges, funny vlogs, roommate confessions and lifestyle content, which young people widely enjoyed.
He consistently uploaded his content and collaborated with other creators to build up his channel. He collaborated with several other prominent YouTubers, including Crawford Collins, Bobby Mares, JC Caylen, and Kian Lawley and each collaboration has boosted their content reach to newer and larger audiences. His most viewed video ‘Finish The Lyric W/ My Roommates’ had over 1.7 million views, and several of his other videos topped the million view mark. At the time of his passing, the channel that he had created, and which he called his “channel,” had nearly 392,000 subscribers and just under 44 million total views.
The C4 House and Collaborative Content
In early 2020, a few months before passing away, Corey La Barrie got in touch with his friends, social media influencers Crawford Collins, JC Caylen and Chelsey Amaro, and moved into their shared Los Angeles residence. They dubbed their home the ‘C4 House,’ and it was to serve as a creative hub for some of his most popular content.
Along with Crawford Collins, Corey also started a shared YouTube channel called ‘Corey and Crawford’ which has since reached over 197,000 subscribers and over 10 million views. In 2019, the pair made their TV debut on the reality show, The Reality House. That position also highlighted his acting aspirations and his favourite Hollywood celebrities Jason Statham, Heath Ledger and Paul Walker definitely had an influence on his acting style.
When the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown hit in early 2020, Corey was able to quickly pivot his content. He started to develop quarantine-themed videos recorded in the C4 House, entertaining and engaging his audience during a period where the world was brought to a halt. Creatively changing direction when things get tough was a clear sign that he had a knack for creating content.
Personality, Interests, and Personal Life
In addition to his persona on YouTube, Corey La Barrie was a true man, a very funny guy and extremely loyal to those around him. He was close to his family, often including his brother Jarrad in videos and keeping in touch with his mum Lissa, notwithstanding the distance between Los Angeles and Australia. He was also fond of travelling, music and working with artists outside of the YouTube realm.
In his private life, Corey kept his love relationships private. He did post a fun video in December 2019 in which he spent a day ‘dating’ his best friend Franny Arrieta, but no official dating rumours ever materialized. He was very popular and has a close friendship with JC Caylen and promotes a warm and inclusive environment for the C4 House community.
He gained more than 354,000 followers on Instagram before passing away, posting his lifestyle, backstage footage, and personal achievements. The youthful character in his social media profiles was one of fun, opportunities and a love for life.
It is a Violent Death of Corey La Barrie!
Corey La Barrie’s last video was uploaded on May 9, 2020, the night before his 25th birthday. The video, entitled ‘Deleting This Video In 24 Hours…’, declared a Twitch birthday livestream he was hosting on the day after with friends. Birthday wishes spanned the Internet, with fans abounding in the comments section, oblivious to what was next.
Corey had his birthday party with roommates and friends on May 10 of 2020. He then entered a McLaren 600LT sports car with tattoo master and reality TV show participant Daniel Silva at about 9:30 p.m. It is believed Silva had been trying to coerce several people to travel with him that evening, but had been turned down because he was clearly drunk. Corey’s mother was speaking to him in another room and he did not know that others had rejected him.
Silva lost control of the car and it hit a stop sign and a tree at high speeds in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles. Corey was seriously injured in the accident and was transported to a nearby hospital where he passed away from his injuries. Silva was injured by a broken hip, and tried to run away before stopping bystanders, but he fell and sustained the injury. Daniel Silva was then arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department for murder. His passing was on his birthday and on Mother’s Day, which made it a greater tragedy for his family.
Legacy and Lasting Impact.
When news of Corey La Barrie’s passing reached social media platforms, it spread like wildfire and fans worldwide showed their grief through the social media platform. There were lots of people who had been wishing him a happy birthday on Twitter and of course, they then learnt of his death — a strange mix of celebration and sadness. His last YouTube video got thousands of comments from people around the world, many of whom were full of love, disbelief and condolences.
We’ve seen many other YouTube creators, including friends and collaborators, pay tribute via their channels. Lissa Burton, Corey’s mother, shared a beautiful Instagram post, saying she could not put into words her loss of her son. He is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles.
After his demise, Corey La Barrie’s subscriber count increased considerably as more people turned to his videos to find out what he was all about and to pay their respects to him. His videos continue to be viewed, and his humour, warmth and personality are reaching new audiences long after he has departed. His younger brother Jarrad continues to imbued into the digital realm, maintaining the La Barrie name in the creator community. Beyond being a part of entertainment, the impact of Corey’s story extended to broader public dialogues on the devastating effects of drunk driving.
FAQ’S
Corey La Barrie was born in Adelaide, Australia on May 10th, 1995.
Corey La Barrie passed away May 10, 2020, age 25, in a car accident in Los Angeles. He was a passenger in a McLaren driven by Daniel Silva who was drunk at the time. Silva lost control of the car and hit a stop sign and tree. Corey was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Daniel Silva was an Ink Master reality TV show competitor and tattoo artist. He was a friend of Corey La Barrie and the driver of the car in the fatal accident. Los Angeles police then arrested Silva and charged him with murder.
At the time of his death, Corey La Barrie’s self-titled YouTube channel had almost 44 million views and more than 392,000 subscribers. He and Crawford Collins’ channel rose to more than 197,000 subscribers.
YouTube’s newest video ‘Deleting This Video In 24 Hours…’ was uploaded by Corey La Barrie on May 9th, 2020. There, he revealed his plans to do a Twitch livestream of his birthday the next day. The video has not been removed and has been transformed into a tribute page with lots of fan messages.
