Ronald Williams (@ronaldwiliamsofficialkkk) also known as Grandpa Lou Pickles was a 79-year-old Grandpa and a beloved TikTok personality who had over 9 million followers, which he referred to call them as his "grandkids".[1][2]
His main account owns and runs by his grandson Ryan Adams. As of March 2021, Williams sadly passed away which is announced by Adam on his main page: A video was uploaded, featuring highlights of Adam and Williams, who appeared in most videos.[1][3] He was dubbed as the "TikTok Granddad"[4] He was well known for his penchant for Jelly Fruits.[2]
"Thanks for the good times. Ronald Williams will never be forgotten," reads the caption of the video, which has over 3.8 million likes and 24 million views as of Thursday afternoon. "RIP Grandpa."[1][2][3][4][5] As of July 2021, the video had reached over 18 million likes.[6]
He revealed to Insider that Williams suffered from dementia and that they began making videos together after he moved in with Adams' parents.[1]
Personal life[]
Williams, who was born in 1941 and lived in La Jolla, California, was 79 years old when he died. The cause of death was not immediately determined, but multiple video uploads since the beginning of 2021 appeared to document a prolonged period of illness.[3][5]
According to information listed in both his TikTok bio and YouTube channel description, He announced his 79th birthday on September 26, 2020.[1] Williams, also known as "Grandpa Lou Pickles" on some platforms due to his resemblance to the character from "Rugrats" built a social media following throughout 2020, becoming a major presence on TikTok in particular, as well as YouTube and Instagram.[1][2][5]
Williams was also served in the Army, according to Adams, and he loved to "play the blues" which his arthritis made more difficult.[1] He also stated that Williams played in bands with legendary American musician Frank Zappa (records of a Ronald "Ronnie" Williams playing with Zappa exist), and that his other hobbies included fishing and surfing.[1][5]
Career[]
On February 3, 2020, he posted his first TikTok video. Williams introduces himself to the audience and asks, "Don't I look like Grandpa Lou Pickles?" and promises more TikTok videos are on the way.[1]
Williams continued to post regularly on TikTok throughout 2020, reaching 1 million followers for the first time in April of last year.[1] He was a frequent participant in "Hit or Miss," a TikTok game involving jelly fruit candies created by TikToker Jaden Sprinz.[1]
Adams, whose TikTok handle is @watchyourhaircut, appeared in a number of his grandfather's videos.[1] Adams described Williams as "full of joy and happiness" and "a real life cartoon character (in a very good way)" in an email.[1]
Adams told Insider that he "never had to worry what he thought of me because he would never judge me or anyone," and said that he "felt such at peace" while with Williams.[1] Fans have flooded the comments of the most recent videos with messages of support and love, with some posting videos remembering him.[1] "He loved every single one of you," Adams said in his own video. "He did call you his grandkids for a reason, because he cared about you a lot. Not only you were happy to see him on these videos. It made him happy to see you happy."[1]
Death[]
On January 29, Williams' YouTube channel announced that he had lost his voice, with Adams asking viewers if they thought his grandfather should get a COVID test despite not showing symptoms.[1] Williams was admitted to the hospital on February 25, according to Adams. "I don't want to get into too much detail but just keep him in your prayers," Adams said at the time.[1] On March 4, Adams stated that Williams had been cleared of a blood infection and was undergoing physical therapy, but that he still had other complications going on." According to an Instagram post, Williams returned home on March 16.[1][3]
"The way you see him on the videos is exactly how he was off camera" Adams told Insider in the email.[1][5] "Honestly I couldn't capture every great moment we had but we sure got a lot of it to look back on. He always put others first and wanted to make sure he could make someone feel good and happy. He never stressed about anything and hardly ever got upset. He showed me to appreciate the little things and to just enjoy life. He was so pure. His smile would literally brighten up the room."[1][5]
Adams posted a video on Williams' account in late February to inform the audience that they would be taking a break from TikTok.[1] He stated that Williams was in the hospital and requested that people keep him in their prayers. Other creators expressed their condolences to Williams in video compilations posted to Williams' account before Adams announced his death on Wednesday.[1]
Ryan did not explain what caused his grandfather's death in his tributes to his grandfather's life.[4] However, in late February, he announced that he and his grandfather would be temporarily withdrawing from TikTok due to his grandfather's health.[4] “I don’t want to get into too much detail but just keep him in your prayers,” he said at the time. Ryan also stated that his grandfather had undergone several procedures in the hospital.[4] Ronald's fans are likely to speculate about his cause of death because Ryan did not specify how he died. Instead, Ryan emphasized his grandfather's way of life and the important lessons he had learned from him. Ronald may have gone viral online, but he was also adored by his family, and that is what matters most in the aftermath of this news.[4]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 Palmer Haasch, "Ronald Williams, beloved grandpa who had millions of followers on TikTok, has died at 79" - Insider (Mar 26, 2021)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Palmer Haasch, "Fans heartbroken after ‘TikTok Grandad’ Ronald Williams passes away" - Dexerto (March 25, 2021)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Alice Hearing, "Fans heartbroken after ‘TikTok Grandad’ Ronald Williams passes away" - Newsweek (March 25, 2021)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Joseph Allen, "Ronald Williams, Also Known as 'TikTok Granddad,' Has Died at the Age of 79" - Distractify (March 25, 2021)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Palmer Haasch, "Ronald Williams, beloved grandpa who had millions of followers on TikTok, has died at 79" - Sports.yahoo.com (Mar 26, 2021)
- ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@ronaldwilliamsofficial/video/6943253205765623045