Operation Hangover's Death On TikTok Live

Content Warning: Portions of this entry make mention of suicide, which some may find difficult or upsetting. If you need support or are dealing with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's website or call 1-800-273-8255.

Overview

Operation Hangover's Death refers to the death of TikToker OperationHangover, aka Dave, who died while livestreaming himself drinking alcohol on TikTok. During the livestream, viewers would donate to Dave to get him to drink more. The exact cause of his death is unknown, but was confirmed by his sister via her own TikTok page and later his TikTok page @Operationhangover, also shared by his wife Carla. The death inspired discussions about the dangers of alcohol and encouraging others to drink for views online, with some blaming the donors during the live for his death. A GoFundMe was opened to raise funds for Dave's funeral.

History

Who Is Operation Hangover?

Operation Hangover (@Operationhangover) was a TikToker^[1] with over 10,000 followers at the time of his death. His content mainly focused on performing internet challenges, chugging and reviewing alcoholic beverages, sometimes with his wife Carla (example content shown below). Dave was known to host TikTok livestreams where he would drink for his viewers.

Death

On the night of December 26th, 2022, Operation Hangover went live on TikTok with his wife. During the live, the two drank alcohol for donations. At one point during the live, the phone camera was moved away from Dave and Carla. Carla can be heard praying and crying, then talking to emergency services, explaining how she tried reviving him. A video of this part of the stream was reuploaded by TikToker^[2] @hookedbyshakera on December 27th (shown below). In the comment section, some users claim that the moderators were banning people who asked Dave to stop drinking.

On December 27th, TikToker^[3] @tornadoday posted a video confirming his death, claiming to be Dave's sister and that his wife Carla isn't ready to talk about the situation. She posted a video to the @operationhangover TikTok^[4] account later that day saying she can't figure out how to go live, saying that Carla is resting and linking to the GoFundMe^[5] page for his funeral costs (shown below).

Online Reaction

Dave's death inspired reactions on TikTok, with some blaming the death on his TikTok live viewers, who encouraged him to drink more by donating during the stream. For example, on that day, TikToker^[6] @a_real_alcoholic_human posted a video shaming viewers who participated in the stream, comparing his death to a suicide, garnering over 24,000 views in under a day (shown below). TikToker^[7] @joeybdez posted a video wishing the family condolences and partially blaming TikTok for the death, writing in the description, "It’s extremely disturbing TikTok left his live up for thousands of people to witness his passing for as long as they did considering they take lives down for no reason sometimes."

Dave's death was reported on by numerous media outlets, including HITC^[8] and Indy100.^[9]

Search Interest

External References