Filipino social media star Emmanuelle ‘Emman’ Atienza, who courted controversy with her lifestyle videos in her native Philippines, has died at her home in L.A. She was 19.
Her death has sparked a raft of condolence messages from fans alongside Filipino celebrities and influencers, such as Bea Borres, Gretchen Fullido and Heart Evangelista, as well as debate over whether she had been a victim of cyberbullying and what role this had played in her death.
Atienza, who was the daughter of the Filipino TV personality Kim Atienza and Felicia Atienza, a celebrity entrepreneur and fitness guru, had moved to L.A. over the summer.
Her parents confirmed the news of their daughter’s death in a post on Instagram. She is reported to have died on October 22.
“It’s with deep sadness that we share the unexpected passing of our daughter and sister, Emman,” read the post. “She brought so much joy, laughter, and love into our lives and into the lives of everyone who knew her. Emman had a way of making people feel seen and heard, and she wasn’t afraid to share her own journey with mental health. Her authenticity helped so many feel less alone.”
“To honor Emman’s memory, we hope you carry forward the qualities she lived by: compassion, courage, and a little extra kindness in your everyday life.”
The post, which was also signed by Atienza’s siblings Jose and Eliana, did not reveal the cause of her death.
Atienza, who had 875,000 follows on TikTok and another 225,000 on Instagram, had a built a profile around her posts vaunting her wealthy lifestyle but also for tackling mental health issues and pushing back against conversative values in the Philippines.
She found herself in the middle of a media storm in November 2024, after she posted a video of dinner with friends, including Filipino singer Rhaila Tomakin and Miss World Philippines Krishnah Gravidez, in a high-end Japanese restaurant in Manila as they played “guess the bill”.
The TikTok trend involves friends guessing the bill when they eat out at a restaurant, with the person whose estimate is the closest settling the account.
The bill at the Japanese restaurant was eventually revealed to be 133,000 Philippine Peso ($2,268). The post sparked a backlash in the Philippines, where the average monthly wage is less than a fifth of that sum.
Atienza took the post down and withdrew from social media for a time but hit back in subsequent posts at suggestions that her family’s wealth derived from its political connections on her father’s side.
Her recent posts from L.A. had mainly consisted of videos showing her settling into life in the city as well as performing acrobatic feats at outdoor gym spaces and climbing wall centers.
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