Paul Vasquez, YouTube’s Joyful ‘Double Rainbow Guy,’ Has Passed Away Age 57

Paul Vasquez, the creator behind one of YouTube’s first viral videos, has passed away at age 57.

Vasquez, aka “Double Rainbow Guy,” lived just outside Yosemite National Park and rose to fame in 2010 after posting a joyful video that showed a pair of vibrant rainbows arcing over the incredible view from his house.

“Oh my god, it’s a double rainbow all the way. Whoa. That’s so intense,” he exclaims in the three-and-a-half-minute upload, before breaking into happy shouts.

The video became the sixth most-watched clip on all of YouTube that year (it currently has 47 million views), and was featured in the platform’s first official Rewind. Its popularity snagged Vasquez–who was from Los Angeles and worked there as a firefighter before becoming a fire safety and security officer at Yosemite in 1985–a spot on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and put him in ads for brands like Microsoft and Smartwater.

In the decade after, Vasquez continued making videos for his channel, Yosemitebear

, which has 47.5K subscribers and nets around 125K views per month. Many of his weekly uploads feature loved ones and scenes from around his home, including food he grew and cooked himself.

According to Vasquez’s Facebook page, he became ill on May 3, and experienced what he thought might be a heart attack. He noted that he had a fever and low blood oxygen, and said he planned to get tested for COVID-19. He also expressed reservations about going to a hospital.

“Whatever happens I’m ready for it, I’m happy to experience it all,” he wrote. “[I]f it’s the virus and it’s my time to recycle I look forward to coming back to a new body and starting over, whatever happens I’m enjoying the ride.”

The Mariposa County Coroner’s Office confirmed to The Modesto Bee that Vasquez passed away May 9. He’s survived by one son and one daughter.