Siya Kakkar, a viral sensation with more than 2 million followers on video streaming platform TikTok, has died. She was 16 years old.
Her manager Arjun Sarin confirmed to The Post that Kakkar died by suicide on June 24 at her family’s home in New Delhi, India.
“She was an honest, fun-loving girl and I am shocked with this incident and I will always remember her as a great artist,” Sarin said Friday. “[To find] an artist like her is very rare, so we can only pray that her soul may rest in peace. She will always be in our hearts forever.”
Delhi Police — who reportedly seized Kakkar’s phone for further investigation — told India Today that she had been battling depression under coronavirus lockdown in the days prior to her death.
“Her family is in shock and has requested privacy,” a law enforcement rep told the local news outlet. “No suicide note has been recovered.”
Kakkar’s last TikTok video, posted Wednesday and featuring her signature Bollywood brand of singing and dancing, had garnered over 23 million views as of Friday night.
Sarin said he spoke to Kakkar shortly before her death, and “she was talking normal and like every time she talked to me she was very professional and focused on the work.”
He appealed to “all the media agencies to give time to her family so that God may give strength to them.”
Viral Bhayani, a fashion photographer based in Mumbai, India, also posted about her death on social media: “You go through her videos and you can [see] she was so good in her content, it’s really sad that she chose this path. If you are feeling depressed please don’t do this 🙏.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.