Popular content creator Neaks Rose, whose real name was Aneakqua Amira Rose-Brown, was laid to rest yesterday in a ceremony befitting of the TikTok Queen that she was. The content creator had amassed almost 50,000 followers by the time of her unexpected passing on February 3. She was loved for her motivational, highly relatable and candid videos. Her authentic content, filmed mostly in the casual and comfortable setting of her bedroom, talked through issues such as overthinking texts, anxiety moments and everyday hardships.

The content creator had amassed almost 50,000 followers by the time of her unexpected passing on February 3. She was loved for her motivational, highly relatable and candid videos. Her authentic content, filmed mostly in the casual and comfortable setting of her bedroom, talked through issues such as overthinking texts, anxiety moments and everyday hardships.

In one of her most watched video posts, she humorously gave wise life advice:

“If the world wan’ beat you, beat it back… You’re tired? Get Up! We don’t sleep, we take naps… You’re looking at all these people who drive their big boy whips, they didn’t get the big boy whips by lying in the bed, feeling sorry for themselves?”

Rose’s passing shocked the online community after it was announced by her mother, Rhonda, via TikTok in the early hours of February 4 in a post captioned:

“They took my baby RIP @neaksrose @Neaks… I love you so much only 26”

In a later post, which shared a montage of images of Neaks throughout her childhood and young life, she wrote:

“My baby is gone died in her house @neaksrose @Neaks. Thanks to everyone who showed her love on this app and beyond. Such confident young lady with her own mind. Neaks lived a loved that she loved no matter what ANYONE ELSE thought. My mum told her to do what she loved and she loved tick tock RIP my baby love you soooo much.”

At her lavish send-off, mourners were encouraged to wear Neaks’ favourite colour, red, and on her unconventional red coffin was a poster announcing her passing in the apt style of a news report. The road came to a standstill for Neaks’ final journey by horse and carriage and her bereaved mother can be seen saying her goodbyes to her daughter in the tearful ceremony that also included African drumming and was widely attended by friends and family. The cause of the untimely passing of the 26-year-old is yet to be confirmed; however, in her final video posted to TikTok, Rose shared a “mini update” about feeling sick for “almost two weeks”.

In what is now recognised as a tragic final update, Rose explained that she initially confused her illness with period-related issues, stating: “Time of the month came and I was like alright cool that’s probably why I felt sick”. However, Rose encouraged viewers to “listen to [their] bodies” as she went on to reveal that she was in fact suffering from tonsillitis. She described some of her symptoms, saying “it hurts to walk up the stairs”, and added that her “throat is hurting” and her “chest is hurting”. In the one minute and 50 second video, she also shared that she was asthmatic and asked viewers to “bear with” her while she recovered.

Let’s continue to keep her friends and family, particularly her mother Rhonda, in our thoughts.