‘Papa Jake’ Larson, D-Day vet turned TikTok star, dead at age 102
“Papa Jake” Larson, a veteran of the D -Day of the Second World War who catapulted the celebrity of Tiktok with stories of war and his colleagues soldier, died.
He was 102 years old.
Her granddaughter McKaela Larson announced his death on Saturday “with a heavy heart,” she said in an article on her Tiktok page, tale with Papa Jake.
“Our beloved Papa Jake died on July 17 at 102 years old,” she wrote. “Please, know, he went peacefully and even made jokes until the end.”
She then asked for the privacy of the family “while we treat this loss”. He lived in Lafayette, California.
Papa Jake was cried from the United States to Normandy in France, where he was part of 160,000 allied soldiers who stormed the beaches of the region on June 6, 1944, to conceive a turning point in the war.
As part of the 135th American army infantry regiment in the 34th infantry division, nicknamed the “Red Bulls”, Larson landed on Omaha beach with 34,000 allied soldiers. Dodging the German machine gun fire at the top of the cliffs overlooking the beach and avoiding terrestrial mines under the feet, he managed to reach the cliff base without a scratch while the comrades fell around him. At least 2,400 American soldiers were lost on Omaha beach alone.
Larson was the last surviving member of the unit.
AP photo / Virginia Mayo
The veteran of the day D Jake Larson visits the American cemetery of Normandy in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 4, 2024. Larson died Thursday at 102 (AP photo / Virginia Mayo)
He also fought in the battle of bulge, another decisive moment of war. He received a bronze star and a prize from the French Legion of Honor for his Service of the Second World War.
Born in Minnesota in 1922, Larson was 15 years old when he lied about his age in 1938 to enlist in the National Guard. He was sent abroad in 1942 and stationed in Northern Ireland, where he in fact helped to assemble the planning books for the invasion of Normandy as a sergeant of operations.
He went to Tiktok in 2020 with the help of McKaela Larson when locking the pandemic, when commemoration events of D -Day had been ready to attend in Normandy. A video she published on her own channel asking for a little love for her disappointed grandfather has become viral while Internet users demanded more and asked her to create a tiktok just for him. The tale time with Papa Jake was born.
Five years later, Larson had raised 1.2 million Tiktok followers, and his internet footprint included an Instagram account with 87,000 subscribers and a YouTube channel with more than 16,000 subscribers. He had traveled McKaela in the aisle of his marriage, won an Emmy with the host of CNN Christianne Amanpour for an interview that they made about D -Day, and embarked on countless innmorers who asked him for a selfie during one of the many events he attended in Normandy in honor of this hinge battle. In December 2024, he celebrated his 102nd birthday.
Tiktok / storytimewithpapapajake
The day’s veteran J Jake Larson celebrated his 102nd birthday in December 2024.
“I embarked on D -Day planning … I’m just a country boy,” Larson told the Associated Press in 2023. “Now I am a star on Tiktok.” You can see me everywhere: “Dad Jake.” I am a legend! I didn’t plan that, it happened.
Larson defended Tiktok, noting that stories like hers would never have seen daylight without such a platform.
Tributes have flocked people who thank him for service in the United States and the world, and for his stories that have maintained this life experiences for future generations.
“I am so grateful to have shared my dad Jake with you all,” wrote his granddaughter. “You wanted to say the world for him. When the time came, I will continue to share Papa Jake’s stories and keep his memory alive. We appreciate all words and friendly messages. As Dad would say, you like it.”
With news feed services
Originally published:
