21-year-old Brampton TikTok star Megha Thakur dies 'suddenly and unexpectedly'
How did Megha Thakur die? It's a question that has been haunting fans of the 21-year-old body positivity icon and TikTok star since they learned of her death, a cause for which has yet to be revealed, earlier this week.
The Canadian student, who was studying computer science at Western University, passed away "suddenly and unexpectedly" in the early morning hours of Nov. 24, according to her parents.
"Megha was a confident and independent young woman. She will be dearly missed. She loved her fans and would have wanted you to know of her passing," reads a post uploaded to the late TikToker's Instagram page on Monday by "Megha's loving parents."
"At this time, we request your blessings for Megha. Your thoughts and prayers will be with her in her onward journey."
A funeral was held for the young woman in her hometown of Brampton, Ontario, on Tuesday morning.
Described as kind, caring and beautiful by her bereaved parents, Thakur started rising to fame on TikTok in 2021 for her unabashed, instructional confidence — something she didn't always have as a woman of colour attending a white school in a predominantly white culture, dealing with acne, bullying and frequent body shaming.
Thakur frequently spoke about her difficult journey towards self-acceptance in her videos, racking up nearly one million loyal followers with her creative style and authenticity.
She was incredibly well-liked among her peers, and unique in the world of body positivity for serving a demographic of girls and women criticized for being "too skinny" or having a "flat" butt.
"I'm going to break down how you do 'that thing' with 'no butt,'" she says at the top of her first video to go viral, in which the dance enthusiast demonstrates how to twerk.
"BUT, you have to be confident in yourself. Just because you're 'flat' and it doesn't move like someone else's doesn't mean it won't move, period. As long as you feel good about yourself and feel good in general, like, it'll work."
"Confidence is the best thing you can wear, even if you have to fake it," she says in another video with nearly four million views. "Because eventually, you will make it."
Thakur had just over 100,000 followers on Instagram at the time of her passing. Many are leaving comments under the post announcing her death to say how much her work and messages meant to them.
"Her posts brought so much confidence and light when I was struggling. She was always an angel, and beautiful inside and out. I'm sorry for your loss and may she rest in peace," wrote one commenter.
"She was doing amazing work for Brown girls everywhere. This is a loss of one of our city's best," said another.
"I will always be grateful for finding your account, you were the only person that really helped me boost my confidence," reads a comment on another recent post. "You will always be important to me. Love you forever, rest in peace my queen."
Some are trying to figure out the young woman's cause of death on Instagram and elsewhere online, suggesting everything from a car accident to a heart attack.
Some suggest that mental health issues may have been at play, based on a post from June in which Thakur shared that she had attempted to take her own life in the past.
Others are encouraging wannabe-sleuths to respect the privacy of Thakur's family and keep the focus on her legacy, as opposed to how she died.
"YOU'RE in charge. Remember that #confidence #selflove," reads the caption of the deceased social media star's last post, uploaded to both Instagram and TikTok from New York City on Nov. 18.
"She really chose to use her platform and influence to make other people feel good about themselves," reads the top-rated comment on that post. "What a loss for the world."
"Thank you for teaching me to learn to love myself," wrote another fan on TikTok. "You changed my life."
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