New Delhi: Emmanuelle “Emman” Atienza, a Filipino content creator and social media personality, has tragically passed away at the age of 19. She gained a massive following on TikTok, with over 900,000 followers, and 273,000 followers on Instagram, where she shared glimpses of her life and personal journey.
Family Confirms Her Passing
Her parents, television host Kim Atienza and his wife Felicia, confirmed the heartbreaking news on social media. In their post, they remembered Emman for the joy and love she brought to everyone around her.
Add Zee News as a Preferred Source
“It’s with deep sadness that we share the unexpected passing of our daughter and sister, Emman. She brought so much joy, laughter, and love into our lives and into the lives of everyone who knew her. Emman had a way of making people feel seen and heard, and she wasn’t afraid to share her own journey with mental health. Her authenticity helped so many feel less alone,” the family wrote.
Take a look at the post:
They concluded their message with a call to honour Emman’s memory through compassion, courage, and kindness.
Career and Net Worth
While the family has not disclosed her net worth, Emman has begun building her own income through social media, brand partnerships, and online appearances. As per a report by Times of India report, her net worth to be between $120,000 and $250,000.
Circumstances of Her Death
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Emman passed away by suicide at her home in Los Angeles. She had moved from the Philippines to Los Angeles earlier this year.
Final Social Media Posts
Emman shared a TikTok video just two days before her death, on October 20, showing her enjoying outdoor activities like hiking, rock climbing, lake swimming, and Halloween preparations with friends. She captioned the video: “Life lately does this go hard.”
Wanted to Deactivate TikTok Account?
Weeks before her passing, Emman openly spoke about her struggle with authenticity on social media. On Instagram, she shared that she had been considering deactivating her TikTok account, as she increasingly found it difficult to feel proud of the content she was posting.
“I started posting on TikTok last year as a little diary & as exposure therapy because I was very insecure of my looks and personality for a long time,” she wrote on September 1, according to People.
She reflected on her growth since then, noting, “Not only have I become infinitely more confident, secure, and authentic, I’ve also met so many amazing people along the way.”
Atienza also revealed the emotional toll of online scrutiny, saying she often felt “anxious” and “dreadful” when sharing posts due to negative comments, including death threats and bullying.
“I never really did social media for money,” she explained. “I did it for fun, self-expression, and community. Maybe I’d put up with the hate if I were receiving a paycheck at the end of every month. But my main compensation was always the joy and passion I felt when posting, which has been fading.”
After temporarily deactivating her TikTok account last month to “collect my thoughts, reset my values, and clear my head of the dread,” Atienza returned to the platform just a week later.
(Discussions on suicides can be triggering for some. But suicides are preventable. If you are looking for help, some suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-40769002 from Sanjivini (Delhi-based, 10 am – 5.30 pm) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based, 8 am – 10 pm), +91 9999666555 from Vandrevala Foundation (Mumbai-based, 24×7).)
