0:00
Torchov, better known as Apitor, had
0:02
faced his fair share of hardship. With
0:04
the troubled past and later the grim
0:07
reality of a cancer diagnosis, he made a
0:09
promise to himself to live life to its
0:12
absolute fullest. Now, for him, that
0:14
meant skating across frozen lakes and
0:16
little more than his underwear, all
0:18
while downing an entire bottle of vodka
0:20
as if it were nothing more than water.
0:22
To most of us, it might look like a
0:24
reckless stare or the work of an
0:26
unhinged person. But for this Norwegian
0:29
man, it was therapy. Kind of like a
0:31
bizarre ritual that helped him cope in
0:33
the darkest of moments. Whether by
0:35
coincidence or science or sheer
0:37
resilience, Apore would not only outlive
0:40
his diagnosis, but would even build a
0:42
massive following in the process. And
0:44
from that point onward, he swore to keep
0:47
pushing life to its limits. However,
0:49
tragically, little did he know that the
0:52
very thing that gave him strength and
0:54
would help him rise to fame would also
0:56
one day become his downfall.
1:00
Welcome, or welcome back to Coffee House
1:02
Crime, folks. My name is Adrien, and
1:04
today we're exploring the story of
1:05
Apatore, the YouTuber who seemed to have
1:07
ice water coursing through his veins.
1:10
From a quiet Norwegian childhood to
1:12
worldwide internet fame, Tor's journey
1:14
was nothing short of remarkable. though
1:17
sadly it ended with a bittersweet final
1:20
chapter. Now for me this video is as
1:22
much a tribute as it is a story because
1:24
on the weekends my friends and I would
1:26
often watch Apattor's videos usually
1:28
with a drink or two in hand. And while
1:30
we may have always laughed at his
1:31
ridiculous behavior, I never truly
1:33
appreciated how extraordinary his life
1:35
was until now. Oh, and by the way,
1:37
please stick around to the end of the
1:39
video for an announcement. Anyway, with
1:41
all of that out the way, please grab
1:42
yourself a coffee, subscribe if you
1:44
haven't yet, get comfortable, and come
1:46
along with me as we celebrate life and
1:48
the life of Tokov. This is the case of
1:52
Vaptor.
2:03
Hello folks, welcome to Nora. Of course,
2:06
I'm talking about Norway, the land of
2:08
fjords, trolls, and people who would
2:11
likely laugh at your definition of cold.
2:13
Honestly, it's a place that looks so
2:15
stunning it looks photoshopped with
2:18
towering cliffs, icy waterfalls, and
2:20
lakes so clear that they make your tap
2:22
water look like swamp juice. Sounds
2:25
delightful, right? But don't get too
2:27
cocky about visiting this place because
2:30
Norwegians will probably expect you to
2:32
hike up a mountain at 5:00 a.m. with
2:34
nothing more than a backpack filled with
2:36
brown cheese sandwiches. The only
2:38
exception here is that to would have
2:40
likely expected you to bring a bottle of
2:42
vodka, too. Culturally, Norway is
2:44
hilarious in its contradictions. For
2:47
example, they are one of the richest
2:49
nations on Earth, but for some reason,
2:51
they will also happily eat frozen pizza
2:53
like it's some sort of gourmet cuisine.
2:55
Oh, and there's also the fact that their
2:58
national obsession seems to be
2:59
cross-country skiing, which is basically
3:01
jogging, but with sticks and less
3:03
dignity.
3:04
Feels like I'm wearing nothing at all.
3:06
Nothing at all. Nothing at all.
3:10
But in all seriousness, here is the real
3:12
truth. If you can handle the 5 a.m.
3:14
hikes, frozen pizza, and skintight
3:17
joggers, then the rest of Norway is
3:19
absolutely magical. It will humble you
3:21
with beauty, freeze you into humility,
3:24
and remind you that life is better with
3:26
mountains, vodka, and maybe a slightly
3:29
terrifying troll staring at you from the
3:31
souvenir shelf. And it was here in this
3:34
amazing country that to grew up. Born on
3:36
November the 22nd, 1964, Torchoff lived
3:40
in Christian, which can be found on the
3:42
western coast of Norway. It's a place
3:44
where the ocean bites and the wind seems
3:47
to teach you some form of manners. So,
3:49
it wasn't just that he was used to the
3:51
bitter cold. He was born in it. As the
3:54
second of three brothers, to grew up as
3:56
a middle child. He liked to climb rocks,
3:59
splash into cold water, and generally
4:01
treat hypothermia more like a suggestion
4:04
rather than a diagnosis. At the age of
4:06
six, the family moved to Sanderfield, a
4:09
place that is filled with forests and,
4:11
of course, fjords. Educationally, to
4:14
studied history, philosophy, and Nordic
4:16
literature at the University of Bergen.
4:19
It was in the year 1993 that he
4:21
graduated with what basically translates
4:24
to a master of the arts degree. And it
4:26
was during this time that he also met
4:28
the love of his life, Toveven. In fact,
4:31
later that year, they would welcome
4:32
their son, Johannes, to the world. So,
4:35
in one year alone, he graduated, met his
4:37
soulmate, and even became a dad. Good
4:40
going to that is quite the trilogy
4:42
there. Life however was not all perfect.
4:45
Sadly to lost his mother the following
4:47
year in 1994 and his father followed 14
4:50
years later in 2008. Two heavy blows
4:53
that he carried with him quietly but
4:55
deeply. And as it turns out he was
4:57
wrestling with his own demons too
4:59
because the routines of city life had
5:01
began to grind him down quite heavily.
5:03
The noise and the repetition and the
5:05
sense of being so disconnected from
5:07
nature really started to wear away. Over
5:10
time, to grew even more restless and
5:12
irritable, and he knew that if he were
5:14
to stay on this path, it would drive him
5:16
insane. And so, in the shadow of his
5:18
father's death, he made one really big
5:21
decision. He decided that he would leave
5:23
the city behind and retreat to the
5:25
countryside, which is great, but he also
5:27
had a family to think about here, which
5:29
is why the decision was so difficult to
5:31
make. With that said, his wife and child
5:33
decided to stay put in the city. But
5:36
despite now living apart, the
5:37
relationship continued from a distance.
5:40
But deep down to knew in his heart that
5:42
he had to go. And so he adopted this new
5:44
solitary lifestyle. He still supported
5:46
his family, by the way. But like I said,
5:49
it was now just more from a distance,
5:51
and he kept his job at the local paint
5:53
factory to make sure that money was
5:54
still rolling in.
5:58
Moving into his new life, he spent his
6:00
days camping, hiking Yotenheimman, and
6:03
of course, taking hundreds of
6:05
unnecessary dives into glacial water. It
6:08
was somewhere between the bonfires, ice
6:10
baths, and belly flops that to grew
6:12
fascinated by evolutionary biology,
6:15
particularly with how close we are to
6:17
apes. In fact, did you know that his
6:19
future YouTube nickname, Apttor, would
6:21
actually come from this fascination?
6:23
Apparently, friends swore you could see
6:25
it in him, too. In the way that his face
6:28
would light up right before diving into
6:30
another ridiculous lake. Now, at the end
6:32
of the day, we are all just human and
6:35
have our own battles to deal with. And
6:37
privately, to battled with a painful
6:39
condition called ulcerative colitis. Not
6:42
only did this drain him physically, but
6:44
out of embarrassment, he kept it hidden
6:46
from most of his friends and family.
6:48
Publicly though, he openly wrestled with
6:51
the ice. And that's because no illness
6:53
could stop him from plunging into
6:54
freezing water or chasing the raw and
6:57
simple thrill of being alive. By the mid
7:00
2000s, to had a unique life that was
7:02
filled with both joy and hardship. I
7:05
suppose that's all part of being human
7:07
again, right? But saying that, to had
7:09
many quirks that made his life just
7:12
purely fascinating. And although he
7:14
didn't quite know it yet, but a little
7:16
thing called YouTube was ready to put
7:18
all of that grief, grit, and goof in
7:21
front of an international audience. In
7:23
October of 2006, and at the age of
7:26
nearly 42 years old, to did something
7:28
that most men his age wouldn't even
7:31
think of. He created a YouTube channel
7:33
naming it Apore. His very first upload,
7:36
which was titled In My Boat, was exactly
7:38
how most channels begin. just a homemade
7:41
video of tour in his usual habitat. The
7:44
video was short. There were no
7:46
theatrics, no vodka, and no thin ice. It
7:49
was just a glimpse of someone who would
7:51
soon become an internet legend. And by
7:53
the way, even back then, you could still
7:55
catch a glimpse of the many facial
7:57
expressions that he would make over the
7:59
next decade.
8:00
I uh was reading an article about uh
8:04
YouTube in uh 2006. YouTube was at that
8:08
time one year old and I just decided to
8:12
make a channel. I had no I had no plans
8:16
uh nothing. I just did it for fun.
8:19
For years his uploads would slowly
8:21
trickle in which included camping trips,
8:24
fishing, and fierce Norwegian winters.
8:26
It's funny, but even back then you could
8:29
tell that to adored the ice. As the
8:32
confidence in him slowly grew, the
8:34
silent comedian in him gradually
8:36
emerged. And although he rarely spoke,
8:38
of course, apart from the occasional
8:40
mutter or his trademark, Eep, words were
8:43
never really needed for this sort of
8:44
content. Even now, the sight of him just
8:47
makes me laugh and shake my head.
8:49
Honestly, this guy is such a character.
8:51
Anyway, his breakthrough would finally
8:53
come in the year 2011 with a video that
8:56
was named On Thin Sea Ice 2. That felt
8:58
really weird saying on thin sea ice too.
9:01
Is that five words or just one? The
9:03
video involved to skating on cracking
9:05
ice, plunging through holes in the sea,
9:08
and swigging vodka all while grunting
9:10
like a seal.
9:16
The video was reckless, absurd, silly,
9:19
and also impossible not to watch. In
9:22
just over a week, the video had gained
9:24
more than 1 million views. And all of a
9:27
sudden, blogs, forums, and other
9:29
YouTubers were all talking about this
9:31
crazy Norwegian. So, of course, from
9:34
that moment onwards, to decided to
9:36
double down into his niche, that being
9:38
vodka, eep and chainsaws on ice skates.
9:42
And within only a couple of years after
9:44
that, he went from friendly lunatic to
9:46
legendary friendly lunatic. So, by the
9:49
late 2010s, to was still living this
9:51
strange double life that many of us
9:53
YouTubers face when we hadn't quite made
9:55
the jump yet from our old jobs to
9:57
full-time content creation. Personally,
9:59
I know this feeling very well because I
10:01
actually worked as an engineer for 3
10:03
years after Copy House Crime took off.
10:05
And by the way, do you know how weird it
10:07
was to be doing that? I remember being
10:09
on this supply visit with a few
10:10
colleagues when all of a sudden the
10:12
company's manager asks me, "So, how did
10:14
you go from industrial gas turbines to
10:17
body bags?" And uh well that felt kind
10:20
of awkward to say the least. Actually,
10:22
now that I think about it, probably even
10:24
more so for him because his two lives
10:26
were so completely different. You see,
10:28
on weekdays, he was this quiet, shy, and
10:31
mild-mannered factory worker. But on the
10:33
weekends, well, he was the internet's
10:36
favorite goofball. But a much harsher
10:38
challenge was just around the corner
10:40
because in early 2018, he was diagnosed
10:42
with rectal cancer. And for a man who
10:45
laughed in the face of hypothermia, this
10:47
was a sobering reminder of his own
10:49
mortality. The diagnosis came at the age
10:51
of 53, which actually is quite young for
10:54
this kind of condition. And already
10:56
burdened by ulcerative colitis, cancer
10:59
was a cruel double blow.
11:02
While privately he and his family
11:04
wrestled with fear, publicly nothing
11:06
seemed to change. And if there was one
11:08
thing about To that he never backed away
11:11
from a fight. He met the diagnosis with
11:13
stubbornness and perhaps a shot of vodka
11:16
for courage too. Later that year,
11:18
surgeons removed the cancerous part of
11:20
his body. The operation was serious and
11:23
would leave to with an osttomy bag for
11:25
the rest of his life. For someone who
11:27
liked to live half naked in freezing
11:29
lakes, this could have been devastating.
11:31
But to was to and he wasn't going to let
11:34
anything change him. When he eventually
11:37
told his viewers about his diagnosis, he
11:39
did it with cander and even humor. There
11:42
was no self-pity or even dramatics in
11:44
this video. Just a quick message to say
11:46
that he was still thriving regardless.
11:48
In fact, cancer did not seem to even dim
11:51
spirit. If anything, it sparked it. The
11:54
brush with mortality reminded him why
11:56
he'd been diving into ice in the first
11:58
place, to feel alive and to celebrate
12:02
it. It is very common for survivors to
12:04
talk about a new appreciation for life
12:06
and its small joys and to was no
12:09
different. But where most people would
12:11
honor that through tropical holidays and
12:13
newfound hobbies, his version of joy
12:15
involved more frozen lakes, vodka, and
12:18
chainsaws. Throughout his treatment in
12:20
the year 2018, to's uploads slowed down
12:23
for a short while. Now, of course, this
12:26
worried his followers, but when to spoke
12:28
up about it, he seemed as happy as
12:30
usual, sharing his diagnosis without
12:32
self-pity and even thanking supporters
12:34
for the flood of encouragement. The
12:37
positivity that to had been giving to
12:39
the world was now coming back to him
12:41
10fold. And the experience of going
12:43
through cancer gave all of his stunts an
12:46
added weight, too. Because each time
12:48
that he jumped back into the ice with
12:50
that cheeky glint in his eye wasn't just
12:52
comedy anymore. It was proof that not
12:55
only was he still alive, but he was
12:57
laughing and happy, too.
13:05
By late 2018, and now finally
13:07
cancer-free, to was back with more
13:10
energy than ever. He didn't seem to
13:12
dwell on the illness at all, nor did he
13:14
make it part of his brand either.
13:16
Instead, he simply returned to what he
13:18
loved. Now, from a personal perspective,
13:20
it was around this time that I actually
13:22
found him on YouTube, and I remember
13:24
thinking the same thing every time I
13:26
watched him. That life is short, so why
13:29
waste it? Shortly after, his channels
13:31
surged. Old fans celebrated his
13:34
comeback, while new ones like myself
13:36
discovered this Norwegian who treated
13:38
hypothermia like a hobby. Some of his
13:41
uploads were now reaching tens of
13:42
millions of views with his most
13:44
successful video named the first snow 4
13:47
now sitting at 105 million. It wasn't a
13:50
long one. It was just to doing what he
13:52
usually does. Of course, that being
13:55
speedos, boots, snow angels, bear hugs
13:58
with icy trees, and plunging into a
14:00
frozen bathtub with vodka in hand.
14:32
Mainstream media would soon catch on
14:34
too. At home, Norwegians laughed while
14:37
abroad, shows like Australia's Sunrise
14:39
featured his videos to sun soaked
14:41
Aussies, dubbing him one of Norway's
14:43
most fearless men in the process.
14:46
Throughout all of this, to remained
14:48
humble, no inflated ego, no
14:50
self-infatuation, and no repetitive
14:52
selfies on Instagram. He reminded
14:54
everyone that this wasn't for fame or
14:56
money. He was just having fun, and it
14:59
felt like the world decided to have fun
15:01
with him, too. Did you expect to get a
15:03
lot of attention off of YouTube?
15:04
When I started, as I said, I I had no uh
15:09
I didn't think about that at all.
15:11
You might be surprised to learn this,
15:13
but the crazy thing is that he never
15:15
actually quit his day job. Despite
15:17
having over a million subscribers, he
15:19
still kept on clocking in to the paint
15:21
factory. And although his golden play
15:23
button was nice, it didn't really matter
15:25
to him. By 2020, Apore had gone global.
15:29
He was big in Europe, North America,
15:32
Asia, and thanks to his vodka was
15:34
absolutely adored in Poland. Comments,
15:37
memes, and even fan art of him poured
15:39
in, and to would always respond with
15:42
gratitude, and the important part,
15:44
without much of an ego. By now, he had
15:47
built several traditions into his
15:49
videos, including the annual first snow,
15:52
New Year's dives, and his own birthday
15:54
videos, which sadly will soon become a
15:57
very important part to this story.
15:59
Between all of his antics, he would also
16:02
capture Norway's stunning landscapes and
16:04
offer a glimpse of fjords and forests,
16:06
usually alongside his half- naked body.
16:11
With his career now at full throttle,
16:12
the media gave Apatore all sorts of
16:14
nicknames like the Norwegian Daredevil,
16:17
King of Cold Water, and even a White
16:19
Walker from Game of Thrones. And one
16:21
article even joked that he'd drank more
16:23
booze on camera than the entire cast of
16:25
Madman. And online, his channel carried
16:27
an oddly wholesome tone, too. There was
16:30
no malice or negativity or bullying
16:32
going on. He was just a man refusing to
16:34
grow up on ice and with a lot of vodka.
16:37
By 2021, his channel boasted more than
16:40
1.2 million subscribers and more than
16:42
400 million views. And all of this began
16:45
with one simple boat video. Now, he was
16:48
known all over the world. He really must
16:50
have felt unstoppable at this stage,
16:52
too, because not only had he beat cancer
16:54
and was now doing all of these insane
16:56
stunts all over the place, but he was
16:58
becoming famous for it, too. But sadly,
17:01
just as Apur was reaching newfound
17:03
heights, fate was preparing one final
17:05
tragic twist.
17:09
When the pandemic hit in the year 2020,
17:11
his videos hit people in a whole new
17:14
way. They escaped their lockdowns and
17:16
rubbish politics by watching his videos
17:18
instead. And although he was now in his
17:20
mid-50s, he seemed to age with grace and
17:23
of course still acted like a kid at
17:25
heart, too. However, life was not
17:27
without sorrow, either because in
17:29
October of 2021, his older brother Ol
17:32
would sadly lose his own battle with
17:34
cancer. The loss was an absolutely
17:37
devastating blow for To. Together, they
17:39
had fought their illnesses at the same
17:41
time. And although Toor made it, he was
17:44
the only one to survive. In late 2021,
17:47
his channel was still thriving. By now,
17:50
his fans would always wait for his
17:52
birthday tradition where he would create
17:53
a video and title it, "I'm not dead, I
17:56
am X today." With, of course, X being
17:58
how many times he'd made it around the
18:00
sun. It was kind of like a victory lap
18:02
in a way and low-key a way to say that
18:05
he had once again beat cancer and all of
18:07
his dangerous stunts. On November the
18:10
22nd, 2021, to finally turned 57. And
18:15
just like clockwork, he once again
18:17
marked the occasion in a video titled I
18:19
am not dead, I am 57. However, this time
18:23
those words would carry weight. Looking
18:25
back, the title feels chilling, almost
18:28
like fate was being tempted in that
18:30
moment. However, it was just apttor
18:33
being apttor, cheeky, defiant, and
18:35
wholesome. In this video, he took an ice
18:38
bath in a battered old tub. And side
18:40
note, but that water looks so grim.
18:43
Wearing nothing but shorts, he then
18:45
jumped out, raised his vodka bottle, and
18:47
took another swig. He then grabbed his
18:49
shirt and jacket, took another swig,
18:51
kissed a tree, and went for a walk
18:53
around the forest. But of course, not
18:55
without his usual humor first. He then
18:58
found his old hat, wrote his new age on
19:00
it, and aura farmed for a while.
19:08
This was typical apttor, doing the kind
19:11
of that only our intrusive thoughts
19:13
can dream of. And before we knew it, he
19:15
was then back in the bathtub licking ice
19:18
and smashing it over his head. This
19:20
video went down exactly as you'd expect.
19:23
Viewers found it hilarious and
19:25
celebrated his age at the same time. By
19:27
now, the running gag was that he was
19:29
indestructible. I mean, what could
19:31
possibly stop a man who swam in ice,
19:33
laughed at the cold, and had already
19:35
beaten cancer? No one could have ever
19:37
imagined that this would be April's
19:39
final video because tragically, what
19:42
followed only a few days later would
19:44
turn that light-hearted celebration into
19:47
a moment of haunting irony.
19:50
Only four days later and on November the
19:52
26th to headed out to Jacob's Dam which
19:55
can be found near Kongsburg. It was a
19:57
Friday and for him just an ordinary
20:00
outing. The weather was crisp, the ice
20:02
was finally solid and he was eager to
20:05
capture more footage. He even sent
20:07
selfies to his partner Tove, smiling by
20:09
the water and reporting to her that the
20:12
conditions were perfect for skating. It
20:14
was clear that Apur was once again in
20:16
his element, alone and with his camera
20:19
and tripod. The plan was simple. He was
20:22
once again going to film himself skating
20:24
while taking a dip, which was going to
20:26
be used as material for his next episode
20:28
on his Thin Ice series. Now, obviously,
20:31
to had fallen through ice countless
20:33
times before. I mean, it was quite
20:35
literally the entire point. However,
20:38
today something was to go terribly
20:40
wrong. Just a bit of background
20:42
information, but Kongsburg is a
20:44
beautiful part of Norway known for its
20:46
mild summers and its chilly winters. The
20:49
weather here will usually stay above 0°
20:52
for most of the year, typically dipping
20:54
to below freezing at the end of
20:56
November, which is precisely what to had
20:58
hoped for when making his journey to
21:00
Jacob's Dam. But the thing is, the
21:02
weather was a little milder than usual
21:04
this year, meaning that the lake hadn't
21:06
quite frozen over just as much as usual
21:09
yet. But when tour arrived on November
21:11
the 26th, the weather for that day was
21:14
actually colder than usual, dropping to
21:16
-5° C, which was about 3 to 4° colder
21:20
than most of the days before. Now, what
21:23
this means is that the temperatures
21:24
might have actually fooled him that day.
21:26
Doing this for many years prior, he
21:28
could typically make a good judgment on
21:30
where he can skate versus where he
21:32
shouldn't. It is likely that the weather
21:34
that day would have given him a false
21:36
sense of security because the ice
21:38
wouldn't have thickened so much in the
21:40
days prior. After removing most of his
21:42
clothes and putting on his ice skates,
21:45
to then ventured out into the lake,
21:47
ready to grab some of his usual footage.
21:49
And sadly, that is when disaster struck.
21:52
A few minutes in, to ventured onto a
21:54
section of ice that simply could not
21:56
hold his weight. The ice then suddenly
21:59
cracked beneath him, therefore plunging
22:01
to into the freezing water below.
22:04
Normally, this would have just been
22:06
usual routine for him, but this time,
22:08
whether from bad luck or the ice simply
22:10
breaking each time he tried to get out,
22:13
he couldn't get a grip. The ice was
22:15
probably so thin that he could not
22:17
leverage himself out of the water from
22:19
it. And with the water being so brutally
22:21
cold, it likely numbed his body and his
22:24
strength within seconds. With everything
22:26
he had, Tor tried to climb out, but with
22:29
the brittle ice around the hole
22:31
crumbling beneath his hands. He
22:33
unfortunately was out of luck. Alone on
22:35
the lake, he must have realized that he
22:38
was in real deep trouble here. Although
22:40
only a few minutes had passed,
22:41
thankfully a random person soon passed
22:44
by and raised the alarm. With to still
22:46
alive, rescue crews rushed to the scene
22:49
to help him where firefighters and
22:50
divers managed to haul him out of the
22:52
water before then taking him to
22:54
hospital. However, sadly, he had been
22:57
submerged in the water for far too long.
22:59
Doctors worked tirelessly to revive him,
23:02
warming his body and restarting his
23:04
heart in the hopes that he would live.
23:06
But tragically, nothing they did could
23:08
bring him back out of his
23:09
unconsciousness. And on November the
23:11
27th, with his partner and their son by
23:14
his side, To was pronounced dead.
23:20
Now, people were devastated by the news,
23:22
but understandably, what shocked people
23:24
the most is the cruel irony of his most
23:26
recent video. The news spread rather
23:29
quickly, too, with headlines around the
23:31
world highlighting the horrific
23:32
coincidence. In fact, some even believed
23:35
that it must have been a hoax. But as
23:37
Norwegian outlets confirmed the story,
23:39
and To shared a heartbreaking post
23:41
online, the reality finally began to
23:43
sink in. And his audience, well, they
23:46
quite simply couldn't believe it. And
23:48
the outpouring of grief was absolutely
23:50
enormous. I remember when this happened
23:52
actually because at the time I was
23:54
researching the case of Snow the Salt
23:56
Queen when all of a sudden one of my
23:57
friends on Discord messaged me to say,
23:59
"Hey, have you heard the news about
24:01
April?" There was actually a lot of
24:03
confusion at first because you know how
24:05
it goes. Sometimes there's just this one
24:07
rogue article and then it all spreads
24:09
like wildfire. But eventually we did
24:11
learn that it was in fact true.
24:16
The dark irony, of course, is that Tor's
24:18
final upload to YouTube was all about
24:21
celebrating life, a routine birthday
24:23
ritual declaring that he was far from
24:25
dead. And for this to be filmed only
24:28
days before his passing, well, it's a
24:30
reminder to all of us how quickly life
24:33
can change, for better or for worse.
24:35
What was initially meant to be just
24:37
another cheeky tradition has
24:39
unfortunately since become a digital
24:41
gravestone, one that now sits at over 8
24:43
million views at the time of making this
24:46
video. If you go and open that video
24:48
today, you'll find more than 57,000
24:50
comments and not the usual mix of jokes
24:53
and eeps, but a flood of mourning,
24:56
gratitude, and heartfelt farewells. If
24:59
you were to ask me what I think about, I
25:01
don't think he was just merely a
25:03
YouTuber. To his audience, he became
25:06
something far more special than that. He
25:08
was the internet's eccentric uncle and
25:10
the kind of figure who could brighten up
25:12
anyone's day. Usually accompanied by a
25:14
grin, a ridiculous plunge into icy
25:17
water, and of course, a chainsaw or two.
25:20
And through his videos, you can see that
25:22
followers, friends, and strangers alike
25:24
all echoed the same sentiment. That to
25:27
had made life a little bit brighter
25:28
simply by being his fearless,
25:30
unfiltered, authentic self. And that, I
25:33
think, is where the story of Avatar
25:35
carries its greatest weight. Because
25:37
beneath all of the humor and absurdity
25:39
of this man lies one profound yet simple
25:43
reminder that life is finite, fragile,
25:46
and never guaranteed. So, we'd better
25:49
live it while we can. In a world where
25:51
we are filled with so much uncertainty,
25:53
division, and vitriol, we are all likely
25:56
seeking what to had already found.
25:58
authenticity and the happiness that can
26:01
be discovered in all of the small things
26:03
in life. Even now, Apur's channel still
26:05
remains open and people drop by to laugh
26:08
again or even discover him for the first
26:10
time. And although his life may have
26:12
been cut short at only 57 years old,
26:15
those years were lived with an intensity
26:17
and authenticity that many of us will
26:20
never achieve. One of the final things
26:22
to note here is that to wasn't rich,
26:25
wasn't chasing fame, and certainly
26:27
wasn't conventional. However, he was
26:29
free, and in that freedom, he found
26:32
happiness.
26:36
Watching Apattor skate across a frozen
26:38
lake with a vodka in hand might seem a
26:40
little ridiculous at first, but for many
26:42
people, it meant something far greater.
26:44
It was a reminder to stop taking life so
26:47
seriously, to find the joy hidden under
26:49
discomfort, and to celebrate the very
26:51
fact that we are alive. In that sense,
26:54
April left us not only with funny
26:56
videos, but a philosophy to be authentic
26:58
to yourself and to dive head first.
27:01
Maybe not into an icy lake, but at least
27:03
into the unknown. And I think I'll end
27:05
this video here, honest teachings,
27:07
because really, there is no better way.
27:10
But what are your thoughts on this case?
27:12
As always, please share your thoughts in
27:13
the comments down below. I know this
27:15
story was a little different to the
27:16
usual, but hey, I really wanted to talk
27:18
about Appour. Before I end this video, I
27:20
just wanted to share a quick
27:21
announcement with you all, but you can
27:22
now find Coffee House Crime over on
27:24
Spotify. They reached out to me directly
27:26
about 2 months ago, and now I've started
27:29
my own video podcast over there. These
27:31
are the same videos that you'll find
27:32
right here on YouTube, by the way. So,
27:34
there's no need to switch over if you
27:35
don't want to. I just wanted to bring in
27:37
new ways for people to find my episodes.
27:39
Also, I didn't really want to split all
27:41
of my content over various names either,
27:44
as that just doesn't really make sense
27:45
to me. So, you'll find all of my content
27:47
under the same roof, unless of course I
27:50
change to a new type of genre, and then
27:51
I'll probably add a second channel. But
27:53
for now, it's all just coffee house
27:55
crime. However, to celebrate, I have
27:57
actually made one podcast exclusive
27:59
episode over on Spotify where I revisit
28:02
the very first case that I covered, that
28:04
being the story of Joshua Maddox. So,
28:06
I'll leave a link down below and I'd
28:08
love for you to go watch it and maybe
28:09
leave a rating if you can, but honestly,
28:12
feel free to watch me wherever you
28:13
prefer because I'm staying right here on
28:15
YouTube. As mentioned, there are no
28:17
changes here to YouTube and all of my
28:19
episodes will still find their way right
28:21
here to this channel. This is just
28:23
another way for you to try and find me.
28:24
If you couldn't tell already, I feel
28:26
sick as a dog today, so apologies if I
28:28
sounded a little bit flat here, but I
28:30
really do appreciate you sticking
28:32
around. Anyway folks, thank you so much
28:34
for watching today and as always, I'll
28:35
see you again very shortly for another
28:37
one. Until that moment arrives though,
28:39
remember to look after yourselves and
28:41
each other. And of course, stay safe and
28:43
stay curious. Thank you and goodbye.