The man behind the wildly popular “Talking Kitty Cat” viral videos on YouTube has passed away.

Steve Cash died by suicide on from a self-inflicted gunshot wound according to a social media post by his wife, Celia DeCosta Cash. The viral video maker and cat lover was 40 years old.

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Steve’s death took place on Thursday morning, as confirmed by TMZ. In her post about the incident, DeCosta Cash wrote (below):

“I just lost my best friend, my sidekick, my lover, my mentor, my absolute everything. It hurts me to share this. Please understand, give the family time to grieve, but know that Steve is no longer in pain.”

So, so sad.

Cash was a viral sensation on the video-sharing platform, boasting nearly 2.5 million subscribers on his animal-loving channel. His most popular video (below) was a 2015 episode of his ongoing cat sketch comedy show, which racked up more than 17 million views, as you can see:

His most recent video was posted at the very end of 2019.

BTW, the pain she’s referring to in that statement was Cash’s ongoing battle with mental health issues — something he was open about with fans from time to time. In the past, the YouTuber had opened up to commenters about being bipolar.

Sad, sad stuff. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Celia, and the rest of Steve’s family, friends, and loved ones.

RIP…

[Image via YouTube]

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