Social media personality Rolling Ray, whose real name was Raymond Harper, has passed away at the age of 28, his mother confirmed to TMZ. The Zeus Network, where he featured in shows such as Bobby I Love You, Purr and The Conversation, also announced his death on September 3, describing him as “gone way too soon” and celebrating his “laughter, light, and loving spirit.”
Harper, who had more than 449,000 Instagram followers and a growing TikTok presence, first rose to fame on MTV’s Catfish: Trolls in 2018 before making a memorable appearance on Divorce Court in 2019, which went viral. He was also widely credited with popularizing the slang term “purr,” now a popular expression of excitement and approval.
Living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 3, a genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness, Harper used a wheelchair throughout his life. Despite doctors’ early predictions that he would not live past 14, he often spoke about defying medical expectations.
In a 2023 interview with I Got Time Today, he said: “At first they said I was going to die at 14 years old. The doctor was wrong. Science changed and doctors are not always right. God is good.”
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