Man who starred in ‘How Does A Homeless Man Spend $100’ dies from alcoholism

Kenni Thomas Nickel, the homeless man who appeared in a YouTube star’s viral video showing him spending $100 on food for others, has died. He was 56.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office told TMZ Tuesday that he was found dead in an alleyway. His cause of death was chronic alcohol abuse. A coroner spokesman confirmed to The Los Angeles Times that Nickel died on May 28.

YouTube star Josh Paler Lin made Nickel an Internet star with a video that has earned 38.9 million views since it was posted on Dec. 22, 2014. In the video, Lin gives Nickel a $100 bill and sees him going towards a liquor store, which disappoints Lin at first. However, when he sees that Nickel bought food instead of alcohol, he goes over to apologize.

Lin later started an Indiegogo fund for Nickel, which raised over $145,000.

However, there was a twist to the story, as an eyewitness told Vocativ that it was a staged video. (Lin later said on YouTube that those claims were false.) Nickel’s brother also came forward, claiming that he was about to inherit $150,000 from their parents’ estate. His brother was concerned that Nickel was being used.

screenshot via YouTube from Josh Palmer Lin