Gun safety advocate and YouTube personality Paul Harrell announced his death in a prerecorded video, which was posted to the platform on Wednesday. Harrell was 58 years old.
In the video, created on Dec. 20, Harrell sits on a snow-covered log near his home in Oregon and shares that while his pancreatic cancer diagnosis was caught early, he did not have as much time left as he had originally hoped for, as the aggressive cancer advanced to stage 4 and his bones had “crumbled.” He shared his cancer diagnosis with his followers on July 16, 2023.
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“I’m recording this and giving Brad [Nelson, Harrell’s manager] instructions to publish it upon my death, so if you’re watching me, I’m dead,” he says at the top of his final video.
“Now, a few months ago I sat here on this log and told you I’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And I told you they caught it early and we were going to be here for some time. Well, we did catch it early but not as early as I had thought,” he told his 1.2 million subscribers.
“My time is drawing short,” he added, after sharing that he’d broken a hip and was now using a crutch for mobility.
A U.S. Army and Marine Corps veteran, Harrell launched his channel in 2012 on “GunTube,” the nickname for gun-related content on the platform, with a focus on guns, gun rights, firearm safety and responsible firearm usage, according to an obituary posted on legacy.com.
Harrell thanked his followers and subscribers in his farewell video and even apologized, saying he “let everyone down” by not being able to carry on with his videos in death.
“My goal in doing all of this was, yes, to have fun, do some things that were fun, but primarily to put out useful information. Or if not useful, at least interesting information,” he said. “And what I really hope is that, as you’re watching me, you’ve seen some things that have made you say, ‘Oh I get it, OK.’
“My sincere apologies,” he added. “I had hoped that I would continue in this format for the next 10 or even 15 years. And even once I was diagnosed, I had hoped we would be here two or three more years, and it’s turned out to only be a few more months. And my apologies for that. It really makes me feel like I’ve let everybody down.
“I guess the final line, I have not really rehearsed this, is that I’m really glad to have had the opportunity to do all of the stuff that we’ve done,” he says in an emotional conclusion. “I really hope it’s been helpful and I really appreciate you watching, commenting and participating, and I have probably very few regrets in what we’ve done here.”
Harrell’s brother, Roy, then appears in the clip to indicate that Paul has, in fact, died, adding that he is “heartbroken” by the news.
“It was his wish that I maintain his legacy through this channel,” Roy said. “He will remain an inspiration to us all.”
Nelson, Harrell’s manager, then appears to share that Harrell’s legacy will carry on as they continue posting to the channel and sharing free gun safety information.
“He was a very generous and kind guy and told the best campfire stories,” Nelson tells his fans.
In addition to his brother, Harell is reportedly survived by his wife, Mary Harrell. Tributes to Harrell have been posted on X (formerly Twitter) since the news of his death spread online, with fans writing that “we’ve lost a legend” and that he will “live on forever for his contributions to our nation.”
