YouTuber Billy LeBlanc confirmed that his girlfriend Natalie Clark died after contracting a bacterial infection from eating raw oysters.
via Complex:
The 44-year-old content creator first shared the tragic news on Sunday, July 14, posting an Instagram carousel with photos of the couple.
“I’m sure none of you know but I recently almost died. I was in the hospital for 12 days. Unfortunately Natalie didn’t make it and she passed away,” he wrote. “I will always remember how we got lost everywhere together. I will always love her and miss her.. Be safe and hold your loved ones tight. You never know when it’ll be the last time you see them.”
In an additional comment, LeBlanc confirmed that the couple contracted “vibrio vulnificus” from the raw food.
According to the CDC, vibrio bacteria naturally occurs in some ocean waters and oysters can concentrate those bacteria. Symptoms usually include diarrhea and vomiting, but more severe cases can require intensive care. About 20 percent of those infections become fatal.
LeBlanc followed up with another Instagram update on Tuesday, sadly to clarify that his late girlfriend’s death was not a hoax.
“I’ve had a lot of people asking me a lot of questions and it’s hard to answer every single one of them,” LeBlanc said in a video. “Yes, Natalie did pass away, it is not some kind of way to get somebody to follow me or anything like that.”
Before thanking fans for their love and support, LeBlanc shared that he spent twelve days overall in the hospital and eight days in the ICU.
“We ate oysters, and we both felt sick for a couple of days, and then I woke up and she was gone,”
As reported by People, LeBlanc’s mother, Yvette Berthelot, shared a post on Facebook thanking family and friends for their support over the past two weeks.
“Please continue to pray for Natalie’s son Julian for her family and for Billy, both for his health and his heart. Again I couldn’t do life without all the prayers and support from my family and friends,” Berthelot wrote.
According to People, LeBlanc was part of the YouTube family channel Bratayley, featuring his ex-wife Katie LeBlanc and their children Annie, Hayley, and Caleb, who tragically passed away from an undetected heart ailment in 2015 at the age of 13.
After divorcing Katie, Billy launched his own YouTube channel in 2019 and introduced Clark as his girlfriend in 2020.
There are plenty of other things to eat — leave those oysters alone!
