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The Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jake Larson death: World War II veteran and TikTok star dies aged 102
Beloved World War II veteran and social media star Jake Larson, popularly known as 'Papa Jake' on the internet, has died. He was 102. His death was confirmed by his granddaughter McKaela Larson in a TikTok post on Saturday, where she wrote: 'Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17th at 102 years young. He went peacefully and was even cracking jokes 'til the very end.' 'I am so thankful to have shared my Papa Jake with you all. You meant the world to him," she continued. "When the time is right, I will continue to share Papa Jake's stories and keep his memory alive. We appreciate all the kind words and posts. As Papa would say, love you all the mostest.' Larson rose to unexpected fame in his late 90s as 'Papa Jake' on his TikTok channel, where he shared personal stories of World War II and reflections on life. His catchphrase, 'Love you all the mostest,' and with his honesty about the realities of war gained him more than 1.2 million followers. Born in Owatonna, Minnesota on 20 December 1922, Larson joined the Minnesota National Guard at 15 by lying about his age and claiming he was 18, according to NPR. In January 1952, he was deployed to Northern Ireland, and ended up part of the Allied troops on the beaches of German -occupied Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944. He survived machine‑gun fire and advanced to the bluffs overlooking the shoreline, later continuing through the brutal Battle of the Bulge. For his actions, he was awarded the Bronze Star by the US Army and the French Legion of Honour. 'I don't think I was a hero. I was just like anybody else. We were all in this together,' he told CNN 's Christiane Amanpour in June 2024 on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, an interview for which the duo won an Emmy Award. 'I never thought I'd be alive 75 years later,' he told the New York Times in 2019, about being the only surviving member of his company. 'I'm the luckiest guy in the world.' He frequently visited Normandy for D-Day commemorations, where he embraced fellow veterans and mainland visitors alike. In 2023, Larson met British veteran Bill Gladden, then aged 99. 'I want to give you a hug, thank you. I got tears in my eyes. We were meant to meet,' Larson told Gladden at the memorable meeting, a year before the latter's death, according to a report by CBS News. 'We are the lucky ones,' Larson told the Associated Press at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June, speaking at the graves at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. 'They had no family. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honour these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.' Tributes to Larson have poured in worldwide. Normandy's Overlord Museum wrote: ' Papa Jake was more than a soldier – he was an extraordinary witness and a messenger of remembrance.' Amanpour posted: 'So sorry to hear this. They really don't make them like Jake Larson anymore. The sacrifices he made with his Band of Brothers in WWII, and the joy he lived throughout his long life, offer an example to us all. RIP' 'Every day with him was a blessing. He got to see both of my children graduate high school, he accomplished so much. The outpouring of support is unbelievable. We have had people from all around the world reach out to us. It's really, really amazing,' Larson's grandson Mike told CBS News.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
D-Day veteran and TikTok star ‘Papa Jake' Larson dies at 102
PARIS — D-Day veteran 'Papa Jake' Larson, who survived German gunfire on Normandy's bluffs in 1944 and then garnered 1.2 million followers on TikTok late in life by sharing stories to commemorate World War II and his fallen comrades, has died at 102. An animated speaker who charmed strangers young and old with his quick smile and generous hugs, the self-described country boy from Minnesota was 'cracking jokes til the end,' his granddaughter wrote in announcing his death. Tributes to him quickly filled his 'Story Time with Papa Jake' TikTok account from across the United States, where he had been living in Lafayette, California. Towns around Normandy, still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis in World War II, paid him homage too. 'Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17th at 102 years young,' granddaughter McKaela Larson posted on his social media accounts. 'He went peacefully.' 'As Papa would say, love you all the mostest,' she wrote. Born Dec. 20, 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age since he was only 15 at the time. In 1942, he was sent overseas and was stationed in Northern Ireland. He became an operations sergeant and assembled the planning books for the invasion of Normandy. He was among the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who stormed the Normandy shore on D-Day, June 6, 1944, surviving machine-gun fire when he landed on Omaha Beach. He made it unhurt to the bluffs that overlook the beach, then studded with German gun emplacements that mowed down American soldiers. 'We are the lucky ones,' Larson told The Associated Press at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June, speaking amid the immaculate rows of graves at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. 'We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.' He went on to fight through the Battle of the Bulge, a grueling month-long fight in Belgium and Luxembourg that was one of the defining moments of the war and of Hitler's defeat. His service earned him a Bronze Star and a French Legion of Honor award. In recent years, Larson made repeated trips to Normandy for D-Day commemorations — and at every stop, 'Papa Jake' was greeted by people asking for a selfie. In return, he offered up a big hug, to their greatest joy. One memorable encounter came in 2023, when he came across Bill Gladden, a then-99-year-old British veteran who survived a glider landing on D-Day and a bullet that tore through his ankle. 'I want to give you a hug, thank you. I got tears in my eyes. We were meant to meet,' Larson told Gladden, as their hands, lined and spotted with age, clasped tightly. Gladden died the following year. In his TikTok posts and interviews, Larson combined humorous anecdotes with somber reminders about the horrors of war. Reflecting to AP on the three years he was in Europe, Larson said he is 'no hero.' Speaking in 2024, he also had a message to world leaders: 'Make peace not war.' He often called himself 'the luckiest man in the world,' and expressed awe at all the attention he was getting. 'I'm just a country boy. Now I'm a star on TikTok,' he told AP in 2023. 'I'm a legend! I didn't plan this, it came about.' Small-town museums and groups around Normandy that work to honor D-Day's heroes and fallen shared tributes online to Larson, one of their most loyal visitors. 'He was an exceptional witness and bearer of memory,' the Overlord Museum posted on Facebook. 'He came every year to the museum, with his smile, his humility and his tales that touched all generations. His stories will continue to live. Rest in peace Papa Jake,' it read. 'Thanks for everything.' Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
‘Papa Jake' Larson, D-day veteran and TikTok star, dies aged 102
D-day veteran ″Papa Jake″ Larson, who survived German gunfire on Normandy's beaches in 1944 and then garnered 1.2 million followers on TikTok late in life by sharing stories to commemorate the second world war and his fallen comrades, has died aged 102. An animated speaker who charmed strangers young and old with his quick smile and generous hugs, the self-described country boy from Minnesota was 'cracking jokes til the end,'' his granddaughter wrote in announcing his death. Tributes to him quickly filled his Story Time with Papa Jake TikTok account from across the United States, where he had been living in Lafayette, California. Towns around Normandy, still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis in the second world war, paid homage too. 'Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17th at 102 years young,' granddaughter McKaela Larson posted on his social media accounts. 'He went peacefully.' 'As Papa would say, love you all the mostest,' she wrote. Born on 20 December 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age as he was only 15 at the time. In 1942, he was sent overseas and was stationed in Northern Ireland. He became operations sergeant and assembled the planning books for the invasion of Normandy. He was among the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who stormed the Normandy shore on D-day, 6 June 1944, surviving machine-gun fire when he landed on Omaha Beach. He made it unhurt to the bluffs that overlook the beach, which were studded with German gun emplacements that killed many soldiers. 'We are the lucky ones,' Larson told the Associated Press at the 81st anniversary of D-day in June, speaking among the graves at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. 'We are their family. We have the responsibility to honour these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.' He went on to fight through the Battle of the Bulge, a gruelling month-long fight in Belgium and Luxembourg that was one of the defining moments of the war and of Hitler's defeat. His service earned him a Bronze Star and a French Legion of Honour award. In recent years, Larson made repeated trips to Normandy for D-day commemorations. In his TikTok posts and interviews, Larson combined humorous anecdotes with somber reminders about the horrors of war. Speaking to AP on the three years he was in Europe, Larson said he is 'no hero.' Speaking in 2024, he also had a message to world leaders: 'Make peace not war.' He often called himself 'the luckiest man in the world,' and expressed awe at all the attention he was getting. 'I'm just a country boy. Now I'm a star on TikTok,' he told AP in 2023. 'I'm a legend! I didn't plan this, it came about.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
D-Day veteran and TikTok star ‘Papa Jake' Larson dies aged 102
D-Day veteran 'Papa Jake' Larson, who survived German gunfire in the June 1944 Normandy landings and went on to garner 1.2 million followers on TikTok late in life by sharing stories to commemorate the Second World War and his fallen comrades, has died at 102. An animated speaker who charmed strangers young and old with his quick smile and generous hugs, the self-described country boy from Minnesota was 'cracking jokes till the end', his granddaughter wrote while announcing his death. Tributes to the veteran quickly filled his Story Time With Papa Jake TikTok account from across the US, where he had been living in Lafayette, California. Towns around Normandy, still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis in the Second World War, paid homage to him too. 'Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17 at 102 years young,' granddaughter McKaela Larson posted on his social media accounts. 'He went peacefully.' 'As Papa would say, love you all the mostest,' she wrote. Born on December 20 1922 in Owatonna, Minnesota, Mr Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age as he was only 15 at the time. In 1942, he was sent overseas and was stationed in Northern Ireland. He became operations sergeant and assembled the planning books for the invasion of Normandy. Mr Larson was among the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who stormed the Normandy shore on D-Day, June 6 1944, surviving machine-gun fire when he landed on Omaha Beach. He made it unhurt to the cliffs that overlook the beach, then studded with German gun emplacements that mowed down American soldiers. 'We are the lucky ones,' Mr Larson told The Associated Press (AP) at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June. 'We are their family. We have the responsibility to honour these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.' Mr Larson went on to fight through the Battle of the Bulge, a gruelling month-long fight in Belgium and Luxembourg that was one of the defining moments of the war and of Hitler's defeat. His service earned him a Bronze Star and a French Legion of Honour award. In recent years, Mr Larson made repeated trips to Normandy for D-Day commemorations — and at every stop, 'Papa Jake' was greeted by people asking for a selfie. In return, he offered up big hugs. One memorable encounter came in 2023, when he came across Bill Gladden, a then-99-year-old British veteran who survived a glider landing on D-Day and a bullet that tore through his ankle. 'I want to give you a hug, thank you. I got tears in my eyes. We were meant to meet,' Mr Larson told Mr Gladden, their hands clasped tightly. Mr Gladden died the following year. In his TikTok posts and interviews, Mr Larson combined humorous anecdotes with sombre reminders about the horrors of war. Reflecting to AP on the three years he was in Europe, Mr Larson said he was 'no hero'. Speaking in 2024, he also had a message to world leaders: 'Make peace not war.' He often called himself 'the luckiest man in the world', and expressed awe at all the attention he was getting. 'I'm just a country boy. Now I'm a star on TikTok,' he told AP in 2023. 'I'm a legend! I didn't plan this, it came about.' Small-town museums and groups around Normandy that work to honour D-Day's veterans and fallen shared tributes online to Mr Larson, one of their most loyal visitors. 'He was an exceptional witness and bearer of memory,' the Overlord Museum posted on Facebook. 'He came every year to the museum, with his smile, his humility and his tales that touched all generations. His stories will continue to live. Rest in peace Papa Jake,' it read. 'Thanks for everything.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
WW2 veteran and TikTok star 'Papa' Jake Larson dies aged 102
Tributes are being paid to American World War Two veteran and social media star Jake Larson, known online as 'Papa Jake', who has died at the age of 102. Larson was among the Allied troops in D-Day who attacked Nazi Germany's forces on the beaches of northern France in 1944, helping to end later life he embraced social media and gained 1.2 million followers on TikTok, where he shared stories to commemorate WW2 and his fallen comrades. Three weeks ago he co-won an Emmy Award with British-Iranian journalist Christiane Amanpour for their interview marking last year's 80th anniversary of D-Day. His granddaughter McKaela Larson said on TikTok that he died on 17 July but "went peacefully and was even cracking jokes 'til the very end"."I am so thankful to have shared my Papa Jake with you all. You meant the world to him," she told followers of his Storytime with Papa Jake TikTok account."As Papa would say, love you all the mostest," McKaela Larson asked for her family to be given privacy but said she will "continue to share Papa Jake's stories and keep his memory alive". "I didn't even know what TikTok was until my granddaughter sent it to me one day," Jake Larson said when asked about the also served in the US Army at the Battle of the Bulge in the Allied invasion of occupied France, when he was aged 19, he was stationed at Lurgan, in Northern Ireland. Larson visited Normandy several times for D-Day commemorations in recent years.
