On Sunday, Katie LeBlanc, the mother behind the beloved YouTube family vlog channel Bratayley, shared a touching tribute to her late son Caleb, who passed away in October 2015. The post marked what would have been Caleb’s 23rd birthday.
Caleb, who was only 13 years old when he passed away, was a victim of sudden cardiac arrest due to undetected hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Caleb didn’t show any symptoms before his death, so there was unfortunately nothing the family could have done differently.
In an Instagram post, Katie LeBlanc shared a photo of herself posing with a plate of strawberry pancakes at IHOP, a tradition she has maintained since her son’s passing.
“Happy birthday Caleb. Missing you every single day. (his pancake picture was taken 10 years ago today!)” the mother of three wrote in her Instagram caption.
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Bratayley rose to YouTube fame in the 2010s, documenting the everyday lives of the LeBlanc family: Katie, Billy and their three children —Caleb, Annie (now known as Jules) and Hayley. The channel amassed millions of subscribers who connected with the family’s warmth and humor. The family stopped posting daily vlogs on their YouTube channel in November 2019, with the family explaining their lack of enjoyment and desire to create content they were proud of.
Jules LeBlanc, who is now 20 years old and still a very popular influencer, also paid tribute to her older brother. On her Instagram story, she reposted her mom’s photos, as well as a black and white photo of Caleb with the caption “23 is crazy. wish you were here for your 20sss. love u.” Plus, she posted a picture of her IHOP pancakes with three purple hearts. Hayley, 16, also paid tribute to her late brother, posting two pictures of him wearing a tuxedo on her Instagram story.
On his 23rd birthday, fans joined Katie in remembering Caleb and honoring the joy he brought to so many lives.
