Influencer Chase Filandro Dies at Age 20

A New York City-based content creator died at age 20 on July 31.

Chase Filandro was an amateur actor and regularly posted photos from his travels throughout the United States to his Instagram account, where he had over 30,000 followers.

“Chase was an avid traveler and was moved by the beauty of National Parks,” wrote his sister, Franki Ford, in a tribute on Instagram. “He always welcomed strangers with a smile and made friends along all the trails he traveled on.”

Filandro was listed as a vocalist for indie band Just Add Water, a five-person rock group that played gigs around Long Island. He performed in a show with the group as recently as last summer.

In a post by Take 2 Actor’s Studio, an acting school in Huntington, N.Y., with which Filandro was affiliated, the late actor was remembered for his “vibrant spirit” and “the joy he brought into every room.”

The tribute continued: “His presence was a gift, and his absence leaves a hole in our hearts that can never be filled.”

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To honor her brother’s legacy, Ford started a GoFundMe to raise money for a memorial near or in one of Filandro’s favorite national parks, which has reached over $24,000 in just two days.

“My brother, Chase Filandro, was a shining light who had an incredible zest for life,” Ford wrote in the GoFundMe post. “He was loved beyond words by so many and opened his heart to everyone he encountered.”