Social media influencer David Allen is paying tribute to his daughter, Lily, after her tragic death at just 5 weeks old.
Allen, 35, shared the heartbreaking news via Instagram and TikTok on Sunday, August 4. “So, a few summers ago, I posted this video to the internet and it did pretty well,” he began his message, referencing the footage of him dancing that went viral in 2021. “And I got to travel a lot, meet a lot of cool people, celebrities, be on shows, interviews, things like that. It was really neat.”
“But the coolest thing I ever did,” Allen continued, “was welcome my baby Lily into this world with my wife Jessica. She was five weeks old about a week ago when she passed away at midnight. I have cried every tear I can possibly cry.”
Grieving Lily’s death is “not easy,” he said. “I don’t wish this on anybody. I don’t even really know what to say. I’ve waited a week to even mention it because I didn’t know how to talk about it.”
Allen and Jessica welcomed Lily on July 21. She died on July 27. A cause of death has not been revealed.
Allen, who goes by the handle @totouchanemu, told his 1.2 million Instagram followers that he “just wanted to get it out there, I guess. If there’s something you wanna do, you can donate to Dallas Children’s [Hospital] in her name — Lily Grace Allen — if you’d like to. If you wanna send something to me or my wife, or our family, I have an address on my page. You can find it. Or, just go hug your little one. Squeeze ‘em tight. For me.”
Lily’s memorial will be on Tuesday, August 6, at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home in Colleyville, Texas. “Don’t show up if you’re not invited,” Allen advised. “But if you wanna send flowers or a card, I guess you can do that, too.”
As of Monday, August 5, thousands of people have left messages of support for Allen and Jessica.
“I can’t begin to fathom the range of emotions that you and Jess are going through,” one user wrote on Instagram. “This is immensely difficult to hear. May Light Perpetual Shine Upon Her.”
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Another follower shared that she’d lost her newborn daughter 10 years ago, writing, “I know your pain and the only thing I can say is that eventually we learn to live with this pain. All my love for you and your wife.”
Allen revealed via Instagram on June 14 that he and Jessica were soon expecting their first child. “Wife, pharmacist, and now mommy. @jessbird18 is my hero atm,” he captioned the photo. “Can’t wait to meet Lily in just a few weeks!!!!”
He posted Lily’s first public photo on June 21, the day she was born, and on July 16, he posted a sweet video of himself holding the baby while watching TV.
Allen became internet-famous over the pandemic with funny dance videos in which he sports sunglasses, headphones and endearingly nerdy clothes.
