Obituary

In September 2007, a young man named Chris Crocker posted a tearful, mascara-streaked video begging the internet to stop mocking Britney Spears. 'Leave Britney alone!' he sobbed, to a global audience that had never met him. The internet responded by mocking him instead, which was the cruelest possible fulfillment of his request. The video became one of the most-viewed on the platform and made Crocker an accidental icon. The meme died in 2008, not because the mockery stopped, but because the mockery became the point and the tears became a costume. He was right, by the way. Britney should have been left alone.

Born

September 2007

Died

2008

Cause of death

Died of being heard too clearly

Last sighting

A deleted YouTube video, 2008

Resting place

Section E, Row 7

Category

person