TikTok Comedian Steve Bridges Died Suddenly at 41, and Apparently in His Sleep

The news that Steve Bridges, a comedian who had built a devoted following on TikTok, had died at age 41 was first shared on social media thanks to his wife, Chelsey Bridges. In an emotional video, Chelsey shared the news, which naturally led many to wonder what his cause of death might be.

Given that Steve was just 41 and that his death was something of a surprise, that curiosity is natural. Here's what we know.

According to Chelsey, Steve died in his sleep on their couch.

"He’s really gone. There’s no news story. He wasn’t a Hollywood personality. He was a family man who loved to make people laugh. This is real. He died peacefully sleeping on our couch. Thank you all," she wrote in the caption to a video in which she shared the news. According to TMZ, the Peoria Police Department said that they responded to a call about a natural cause of death.

Chelsey told TMZ that Steve's death was "totally out of the blue," and even said that he had been feeling great lately as he worked on his diet and fitness. Chelsey did say, though, that three of Steve's family members had died young, with his grandmother dying in her sleep at age 52, and his father and grandfather both reportedly died when they were in their forties.

Chelsey said that Steve's success on TikTok, where he had more than 2 million followers, had allowed him to quit his day job in order to focus on comedy full-time.

Chelsey also said in the video that the characters he played on TikTok, including his famous "dead-beat dad" character, were "the opposite" of the person he was in real life. The two of them shared three kids, a 14-year-old and two 10-year-old twins.

Following the announcement that Steve had died, fans immediately began sharing their condolences with Chelsey and offering their own memories of how he had touched them.

"You didn’t owe us anything. Thank you for this post. I am so incredibly sorry for your family’s loss. Please take care of yourself. Steve’s legacy is laughter," one person wrote in the comments under the video.

"Steve was a genius and hysterically funny. I smiled the moment he showed up on my screen. Sending you and your family so much love and blessings, thank you for sharing him with us," Josh Peck, of Drake & Josh fame, wrote.

Chelsey said in the video that Steve was an attentive father and "the best husband," and seemed clearly emotional as she shared the news.

Chelsey, of course, will have to reimagine her entire life in the wake of this loss, but she also knows that Steve's memory has touched thousands of people who never got the chance to meet him. He made people laugh, and even in the wake of his loss, that matters a great deal. A GoFundMe has been set up in his memory.