Internet comedian Young Busco,Poland who skyrocketed to online stardom with his "what are those" Vine, has died at the age of 31.
The father of five, whose real name is Brandon Moore, died in his sleep on Sunday morning, People reported Tuesday. His cause of death is currently unknown and there has not yet been an autopsy.
The "what are those" Vine is one of the most famous to ever hit the now-defunct platform, spawning dozens of riffs and parodies as well as a permanent place in internet parlance. In the 2015 clip, which was ripped from Moore's Instagram account, Moore approaches a police officer as he arrests Moore's friend Myesha, then yells "what are thoooooooose" at the officer's sensible, hideous shoes.
View this post on InstagramSEE ALSO: The best things on the internet don't make any money
Aside from being extremely funny, the meme was a remarkable subversion of power structures. (The police have disproportionately immense power, but what they don't have is cultural capital.)
In its later iterations, "what are those" became a way to take jabs at otherwise powerful (but not always sinister) figures, including Michael Jordan. It also became the premier way to make fun of people's dumb shoes.
Despite the meme's enormous reach, though, Moore wasn't a huge fan of his viral success. He particularly disliked the meme's cameo in Black Panther, telling HuffPost in March that "every time I see that shit, I get depressed."
Moore was disillusioned largely because he didn't see the fruits of his labor. A month after the meme went viral, Moore was sent to jail on a narcotics charge and for violating probation. When he got out, the moment had already reached its peak. He didn't even have the chance to file a copyright, which plagued him as he saw others profit from his work.
Still, Moore expressed several times over the years that he was happy to have created such a valuable slice of culture. "Like, I feel good I created something that’ll be with the world forever, but then I feel bad because I didn’t handle my business part correctly," he told HuffPost.
"It's actually cool in a sense," he told Vice in 2015. "Everything I do, I do for the people anyway. That's where my fulfillment comes from."
According to a post on Moore's Instagram account, a vigil in his honor will be held in Berkeley, California in his honor Friday night.
NYT Connections hints and answers for May 1: Tips to solve 'Connections' #690.
Best Mac Mini M4 2024 deal: Save $99 with an Amazon coupon
Best 4K monitor deal: Save $120 on the Samsung M7 smart monitor
Wordle today: The answer and hints for May 29, 2025
Operation Rock Wallaby rains food down on wildlife hurt by bushfires
Pacers vs. Knicks 2025 livestream: Watch Game 4 of NBA playoffs for free
Tesla sales in Europe are still plummeting, despite Model Y refresh
Best Sonos deal: Save $120 on the Sonos Ace at Amazon
Shop the Shark FlexStyle for 20% off at Amazon
NYT Connections hints and answers for May 27: Tips to solve 'Connections' #716.
Is it 'Thunderbolts*' or *The New Avengers'?
How AI is locating an endangered bird species missing for over a decade
Best Mac Mini M4 2024 deal: Save $99 with an Amazon coupon
iOS 18.5's call
I'm a college professor. My advice to young people who feel hooked on tech
People are asking ChatGPT if they're hot enough
Pocket is shutting down. Here are the read
McDonald vs. Djokovic 2025 livestream: Watch French Open for free
No Time for a Negative Peace
Shop Popsocket's new Kick
Watermelon dresses are the only hot new summer fad that won't annoy youGoogle funds AI journalism project to create 30,000 articles per monthTwitter gets a win in lawsuit against U.S. government for right to reveal data requestsNetflix is totally destroying Hulu, Amazon, and YouTube in battle for screen time'Pokémon Go' has totally transformed one year on and you should tap back inRob Kardashian posted 'revenge porn' of Blac Chyna. That's illegal.It is Hobby Lobby's duty to rebuild Nergal’s ancient Irkalla GateStar Trek vs. Star Wars fight leads to roommate brawlRobert Kirkman's superAngela Merkel is the hero Donald Trump haters needJawbone is going out of business, report saysNetflix is totally destroying Hulu, Amazon, and YouTube in battle for screen timeThe 'Third Thumb' prosthetic for anyone makes me really want an extra finger'SpiderApple rumored to switch to OLED displays for all iPhones next year'Pokémon Go' celebrates its first birthday by giving Pikachu a hatA 'Game of Thrones' exhibition is on its way to youDinosaur photoshoot is Tyrannosaurus SexyCreative woman invents 'fidgetiddies,' fidget spinners for your nipplesMalala Yousafzai has officially sent her first tweets 'The Mandalorian' Season 2 will premiere October 2020 Kid slips the most adorable note into her dad's suitcase before a trip How to welcome refugees wherever you are Twitter launches text descriptions for GIFs Hackers can hijack Philips Hue smart bulbs to take over your home Here's the 'Back to the Future' Cybertruck mashup you never knew you needed Man says he caused fake traffic jams on Google Maps with 99 phones Nevada will no longer use app from Iowa caucus meltdown (UPDATE) Racist posters targeting Chinese students stir controversy at the University of Texas at Austin Coronavirus outbreak pushes LG out of Mobile World Congress Drowning horse saved by father and son, after collapsing in their doorway There's still no good dating app for non Australian firefighters get their own Funko Pop to help animals impacted by the bushfires Do you use dating apps at your desk? You're not alone. Equal pay chatbot wants to help women 'make a sh*t ton of money' Mama alligator leads her 16 babies across a golf course, because Florida Bitmoji is working on more diversity options, including a wheelchair Amazon makes it way easier to pay with cash Spotify doubles Apple in subscribers and builds its podcast empire WhatsApp bug let hackers access computers with an iOS app and a text