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Navy Veteran and TikTok Star ‘Patriotic Kenny’ Dies at 84

His accounts directed mourners to support his nonprofit that provides mobility scooters to veterans.

Overview

  • Patriotic Kenny, the 84-year-old Navy veteran and social media figure Kenny Jary, died in Minnesota, with his death announced Monday on his official TikTok and Instagram accounts.
  • The posts asked supporters to make memorial gifts to the Patriotic Kenny Foundation, which plans to continue its mission in his memory.
  • A GoFundMe for his medical and end-of-life costs had raised just over $330,000 as of Tuesday, with remaining funds designated for the foundation.
  • Jary disclosed a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis in March after a hospital stay, following years of chronic lung disease that kept him on a mobility scooter.
  • The foundation grew from a 2021 viral fundraiser to replace his broken scooter, and federal filings show it spent $73,926 to provide 49 free scooters to veterans in 2024.