Popular YouTuber dies at 58 after apologizing to fans in heartbreaking clip

Popular YouTuber Paul Harrell has died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 58 - and he announced his own death in a heartbreaking clip posted 'beyond the grave'. 

'If you're watching me, I'm dead,' the Oregon-based content creator told his 1.14 million subscribers in a video titled 'I'm Dead'. 

The six-minute clip was filmed in December 2023, and his family published it following his death on Tuesday. 

Guns rights activist Harrell made the tragic announcement while sitting on a log in a forest, in the same spot where he first told subscribers he had been diagnosed with Stage 2 pancreatic cancer. 

Popular YouTuber Paul Harrell has died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 58 - and he announced his own death in a heartbreaking clip

He previously reassured fans that his cancer had been 'caught early' and he would 'be here for some time'. 

But in his posthumous video, Harrell went on to chronicle how his health took a turn for the worse. 

'We did catch it early but not as early as I had thought,' he told fans. 'It has spread faster than I thought it would. My time is drawing very short.'

Harrell had been using crutches after fracturing his hip - an injury he revealed was triggered by his cancer after it spread to his bones and caused them to 'crumble'. 

The YouTuber went on to offer his 'sincere apologies' to fans who would be shaken by his sudden death. 

'I had hoped that I would continue in this format for the next 10 or even 15 years,' he said.

'Even once I was diagnosed I'd hoped that we'd be here for at least two or three more years and that's turned out to be only a few more months.

'My apologies for that. It makes me feel like I've let everybody down.'

Fans flooded the comments section with tributes and gratitude for the firearms expert. 

Fans flooded the comments section with tributes and gratitude for the firearms expert

 'Even beyond the grave, the sense of humor is dark but appropriate,' one fan wrote. 'We'll miss you Paul.'

'This is the worst notification I've ever gotten,' another heartbroken supporter wrote. 'RIP Paul.' 

'Paul Harrell is the only man humble enough to apologize for dying, the world won't be the same without him,' one person observed. 

Another said Harrell's 'last lesson' to them was 'a master class in dying with grace and dignity'.  

Harrell said his brother and the rest of the production team would continue making videos in his legacy.

The clip ended with a message from his editor and manager, Brad Nelson. 

'I had the great privilege of having Paul in my life and having him as a friend,' Nelson told viewers. 

'He is very generous and a kind guy and he told the best campfire stories.'

Harrell used his channel to advocate for gun owner rights, and share knowledge about gun safety and accurate shooting.