Obituary

Numa Numa was a 19-year-old New Jersey man named Gary Brolsma lip-syncing and flailing to a Romanian pop song in front of a webcam. He uploaded it in December 2004 and became, without knowing it, the first viral video star in history. The internet had never seen a person do something this silly on purpose, on camera, for no audience but the void. It did not know what to do except send it to everyone. Gary retired from fame almost immediately, citing the pressure. The meme died with him.

Born

December 2004

Died

2006

Cause of death

Died of joy exhaustion

Last sighting

A webcam in a New Jersey bedroom, 2006

Resting place

Section Z, Row 3 — the ancestral plot

Category

audio