GoFundMe Three social media stars died in a waterfall accident Tuesday at Shannon Falls near Squamish, British Columbia. Ryker Gamble, Alexey Lyakh and Megan Scraper starred in a series of travel videos on the YouTube channel High On Life, which has over half a million subscribers. Scraper, who was Lyakh's girlfriend, slipped and fell from the top of the falls into the water below, according to the CBC. Lyakh and Gamble reportedly jumped in after her in an attempt to save her, but no one survived. Local police declined to confirm their names, at the request of the deceased's families. The bloggers were all in their 20s and 30s, according to The Telegraph. The High on Life team uploaded a video Friday to commemorate Gamble, Lyakh and Scraper, and to encourage people to share inspirational messages using the hashtag #HOLInspired. "I followed them closely on social media platforms," one fan posted on Instagram. "They were such an inspiration and inspired me to start Instagram. No doubt they have inspired millions of viewers who watch their content to do the same." One blogger tweeted a picture of when she met the High on Life team. "Thinking of your team today," she wrote. This showed up in my FB memories for today! Meeting the High on Life team in Europe was non-stop entertainment. I still laugh thinking about the push-ups in McDonald’s. Thinking of your team today. ❤️ #HOLinspired pic.twitter.com/sCjCqBflE4 — Candice Walsh (@candicewalsh) July 6, 2018 Gamble's girlfriend, Alissa Hassan, also posted a tribute on Instagram. "May we all send prayers to their souls as they transition," she wrote. The High on Life team set up a memorial fund on GoFundMe campaign. At the time of publication, it had raised nearly $4,000 of its $50,000 goal. The group had received backlash in the past, after they were accused of going off a boardwalk at Yellowstone National Park to film next to the Grand Prismatic Spring. Lyakh and Gamble were reportedly sentenced to seven days in jail and banned from accessing US public lands for five years.<doc-sep>Two daredevil YouTube stars went over the edge of a Canadian waterfall while trying to save one of their girlfriends — and all three died, according to reports. Best buddies Ryker Gamble and Alexey Lyakh — who are part of the channel High on Life — were swimming at the top of Shannon Falls in British Columbia on Tuesday with Lyakh’s girlfriend, Megan Scraper, police told the BBC. Scraper got caught in the strong current near the edge and plummeted over, dropping 98 feet below, witnesses said. As Lyakh was trying to keep her from going over the edge, he went over, too, the bystanders told John Willcox of Squamish Search and Rescue, according to The Montreal Gazette. Gamble also took the fatal plunge when he tried to help Lyakh. A fourth friend who witnessed the accident then ran down the mountain to call for help. Underwater dive teams recovered their bodies the next day in one of the lower pools, according to the Vancouver Courier. “Even in his final act on this Earth, he was trying to save the life of his very best friend,” Gamble’s cousin, Rob Mangelsdorf, told the Gazette. “He’d known [Lyakh] his whole life, since they were little, little kids. They were inseparable, absolutely inseparable their whole lives.” Gamble and Lyakh formed the YouTube channel High On Life — which boasts more than 500,000 subscribers — with high school friend Parker Heuser to chronicle their adventures around the world. They have also attracted a massive fan base on social media — 1.1 million followers on Instagram and more than 126,000 likes on their Facebook page. “We travel around the world for a living and make fun and adventurous videos!” the group wrote on their Facebook page. “We also have a clothing company.” The social media stars had traveled around Canada, the US, Europe, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Brazil. They are known for posting death-defying videos on their page — including one titled, “Epic Cliff Jumping and Waterfall Slide (EXTREME DANGER).” Scraper, who goes by “Mindy” on Instagram, has about 173,000 followers on her account, “mindythelion.” She often appears on the “High on Life” account as well. Last year, Gamble, Lyakh and another High on Life member, Justis Price Brown, pleaded guilty to walking on a sensitive hot spring in Yellowstone National Park and other crimes at parks in the western US, the Courier reported. As a result, the trio was banned from US federal land for five years. In a new video posted Friday morning, seven members of the group faced the camera as one of them delivered an emotional tribute to their friends. Related Video Video length 33 seconds :33 Social media stars delivered an emotional tribute to their friends Social media stars delivered an emotional tribute to their friends “There are truly no words that can be said to ease the pain and the devastation that we are all going through right now,” he said in the video. “They were three of the warmest, kindest, most driven and outgoing people you could ever meet, and the world has lost a great deal of light from the passing of our friends. They lived every single day to its fullest, they stood for positivity, courage, living the best life you can, and they shared and taught their values to millions of people worldwide.” “As tragic as their loss is,” he continued, “their message lives on through us all, and it is now our responsibility to keep the message going.” The group also launched a GoFundMe page to help the trio’s families with arrangements.<doc-sep>
Three young YouTube stars have died at a waterfall in Canada. Police said Ryker Gamble, Alexey Lyakh and Megan Scraper were swimming at the top of Shannon Falls in British Columbia on Tuesday when they “slipped and fell into a pool 30 metres below”. The trio belonged to High on Life, an extreme travel channel. They posted videos from remote locations and preached a philosophy of living in the moment. The group has over 1 million Instagram followers and 500,000 YouTube subscribers. The other members on Friday posted a tribute video to Gamble, Lyakh and Scraper, holding back the tears as mourned “three of the warmest, kindest, most driven and outgoing people you could ever meet”. They also read a mission statement that Gamble and Lyakh had written for the group, which included many nods to ideas of self-realisation: “Accept the fact that everything that makes up your world is there because you attracted it with your own thoughts. Realize that you can control your thoughts and emotions.” According to the Vancouver Sun, Scraper slipped and fell into one of the lower pools, over 30 metres below. Lyakh and Gamble attempted to save her but were swept in the pool system below. It was unclear whether the trio were filming there. High on Life has recorded a number of videos and daredevil activities in exotic and hard-to-reach locations such as waterfalls and cliffs in the past. Last year Gamble, Lyakh and Justis Price Brown, another member of the collective, were banned from US federal land for five years after pleading guilty to walking on a sensitive hot spring in Yellowstone national park and other crimes at parks across the western US. Gamble and Lyakh served seven days in jail. The number of deaths linked to YouTube daredevils has been rising. Last year Wu Yongning, who climbed dangerous skyscrapers, fell to his death filming a stunt. Pedro Ruiz, 26, was shot dead by his girlfriend in front of their three-year-old daughter. He was filming a stunt where he held a book in front of his chest, believing it would protect him against a bullet. A number of deaths have also been linked to people attempting to take selfies to post on social media. In January, a 14-year-old boy was electrocuted in Croatia after he climbed on the roof of a train and attempted to take a selfie. One onlooker said his body “burned like a torch”. Last month, an Australian couple died after trying to pose for a selfie on a 30-metre wall in Portugal.