- TV personality Kim Atienza announced the death of his 19-year-old daughter.
- Emman Atienza was a famous TikTok influencer with nearly 1 million followers.
- “She brought so much Joy,” the family wrote in a mournful Instagram post.
A popular Filipino television personality announced the unexpected death of his daughter, TikTok influencer Emman Atienza, at age 19.
Regional TV star Kim Atienza and his wife, health and animal advocate Felicia Atienza, publicized the news in a joint Instagram post early Friday.
“It’s with deep sadness that we share the unexpected passing of our daughter and sister, Emman,” the post began. “She brought so much joy, laughter, and love into our lives and into the lives of everyone who knew her.”
The announcement said that “Emman had a way of making people feel seen and heard, and she wasn’t afraid to share her own journey with mental health” to her nearly 1 million followers on the TikTok video-sharing platform.
Her family added that “her authenticity helped so many feel less alone” on social media.
“To honor Emman’s memory, we hope you carry forward the qualities she lived by: compassion, courage, and a little extra kindness in your everyday life,” the post concluded.
The announcement also included several photos of Emman with her family, including one where she accompanied her tuxedo-clad father to a special event.
According to a case summary provided to Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined that Emman’s cause of death was suicide.
Emman regularly opened up on her public platforms about her mental health journey, writing in a January Instagram post that she “came into 2024 unsure if i even wanted to live to see the end of it.”
She added that she’s “dealt with treatment-resistant mental illness” since she was 12 years old, and that she was “only getting worse as the years passed,” in her estimation.
Emman also spoke candidly about her past with self-harm, telling her followers that she relapsed in 2024 after nearly two years of being self-harm-free.”
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The young influencer credited opening up about her mental health with her newfound popularity on social media, and said that the process gave her a purpose.
“I now understand how much i have to offer. i know who i am, feel secure in myself, and am no longer swayed by others’ opinions,” she wrote. “2024 was a whirlwind of ups and downs. but as i step into 2025, i can’t see a reason not to live.”