Colonel William A. Phillips

Charles Marvin Green Jr. (October 16, 1950 – December 10, 2017), better known as Angry Grandpa, was an American YouTuber. His videos have been featured on HLN's Dr. Drew, TruTV's Most Shocking, Rude Tube, and MTV's Pranked.[2][3][4][5] Green's YouTube channel TheAngryGrandpaShow has amassed a total of 4.76 million subscribers and 1.78 billion views. Following prior health complications, Green died of cirrhosis in 2017.

YouTube career

Videos of Green under the moniker "Angry Grandpa", recorded by his son Michael, first started appearing on the internet in 2007. In the videos, which became known for its prank style,[6] Green is seen reacting to his son's provocations by screaming profanities and destroying furniture, kitchen appliances, and technology.[7][8][9] His commentary and over-the-top reactions to recent events and controversial topics have also garnered attention.[5][7] While questions have been raised regarding the authenticity of the channel's content, including by fellow YouTuber Ray William Johnson,[10] Green's son has credited his father's bipolar disorder for the rage-driven outbursts seen in the videos.[5][7][11][12]

After gathering an audience on Break.com, Green migrated to YouTube and gained popularity there.[7][13] Among Green's most popular videos are his reaction to the music video of Rebecca Black's single "Friday", which was featured on The Guardian's viral video chart in 2011,[14] Green ripping up his son's WrestleMania tickets,[15] destroying his son's PlayStation 4,[16][17] smashing a television set during the Super Bowl 50 after being frustrated at the Carolina Panthers loss,[18][11][19] and a prank causing him to hack at a durian with a Japanese sword.[20] In another popular video format, Green's son is seen gifting his father, who until then had lived in a trailer park,[21][22] a new house[23][24][25] and a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, one like he owned in his youth,[26][27] causing Green to react—by way of exception—with joy and gratitude. Green's videos have been a prominent source for the popular format YouTube Poop.[28]

In December 2015, Green released a cover of Waylon Jennings's "The Most Sensible Thing" in association with musician Shooter Jennings, who he had previously recorded videos with.[13][29] As of December 2020, TheAngryGrandpaShow is still being operated by Green's son. The channel now mainly uploads posthumous videos that were produced before Green's death.[4]

Personal life and death

Green was born on October 16, 1950, in Chatham County, Georgia, to Dorothy Mayer and Charles Marvin Green Sr.[30] He was raised in Charleston, South Carolina, in a low-income household. He worked a number of jobs, including as a firefighter and small business owner.[7][31] He had been divorced twice and was the father of five children.[5] As a parent and before his YouTube career, Green described himself as an "800 pound alcoholic and distant father".[8] He stated that his celebrity status and his followers had given him renewed purpose in life.[3][12] By 2015, Green was estimated to have been worth US$1.5 million.[5]

Green had dealt with several medical conditions, including pneumonia, kidney stones, and skin cancer, the last of which had gone into remission.[3][31] After collapsing at his son's Fourth of July party in 2017, Green was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis.[9] Following months of deteriorating health, he died from the illness at his home on December 10, 2017, aged 67.[8][32] Beside fellow YouTube personalities, condolences were sent by Roseanne Barr, Shooter Jennings, and Paul Heyman, the last of which describing him as a "YouTube pioneer".[9][13][12]

References

  1. ^ a b "About TheAngryGrandpaShow". YouTube.
  2. ^ Rossi, Rosemary (December 10, 2017). "Angry Grandpa, Cranky YouTube Sensation, Dies at 67". TheWrap. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Katz, Brandon (December 11, 2017). "Popular YouTube Star Charlie Green Jr. of 'The Angry Grandpa Show' Has Passed Away". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Spence, Sam (December 21, 2020). "Charleston's December history is rich, eclectic". Charleston City Paper. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Charles Green, internet personality known as 'Angry Grandpa' – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. December 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Tropp, Laura (2019). Grandparents in a Digital Age: The Third Act. London, England: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-4985-7578-2.
  7. ^ a b c d e Bowers, Paul (March 27, 2013). "Why is this man so angry?". Charleston City Paper. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Oppenheim, Maya (December 11, 2017). "Charles Green dead: YouTube's 'Angry Grandpa' dies aged 67". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Richards, Alexandra (December 11, 2017). "Angry Grandpa dead: YouTube sensation dies aged 67". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  10. ^ Gray, Tim (July 13, 2011). "'Angry Grandpa' Reacts to Seeing Himself on YouTube [NSFW]". WWBN. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Koster, Kyle (February 11, 2016). "Disappointed Panthers Fans May Find Fake Video of Old Man Smashing TV During Super Bowl Cathartic". The Big Lead. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Kelner, Simon (December 13, 2017). "What the popularity of 'Angry Grandpa' tells us about ourselves". i. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Bowers, Paul (December 16, 2017). "YouTube star Angry Grandpa leaves behind a legion of loyal 'young'uns'". The Post and Courier. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  14. ^ Halliday, Josh (July 29, 2011). "Guardian Viral Video Chart: panto puppies and scary bamboo". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  15. ^ Jacobs, Corey (March 27, 2017). "Watch: Angry Grandpa destroys WrestleMania tickets". Wrestling News | Wwe and Aew Results, Spoilers, Rumors & Scoops. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  16. ^ Gutelle, Sam (December 11, 2017). "Charlie Green, The Curmudgeon Known For 'The Angry Grandpa Show' On YouTube, Dies At 67". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  17. ^ Cuevas, Fernando (December 13, 2014). "Angry Grandpa Destroys PS4!". KLAQ. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  18. ^ Rose, Joseph (February 8, 2016). "Watch: Angry Panthers fans freak out about Super Bowl loss". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  19. ^ Thomas, Elizabeth (February 8, 2016). "'Angry Grandpa' Smashes Flatscreen After Panthers Loss". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  20. ^ Jingwen, Chen (June 15, 2017). "Durian abuse? You might be shocked to see what they do to the king of fruit". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  21. ^ Schiffmann, Betsy (October 14, 2015). "Lifestyles Of The Rich And YouTube-Famous". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  22. ^ Brouwer, Bree (July 17, 2015). "Son Buys House For Dad, Star Of The Angry Grandpa YouTube Channel". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  23. ^ Yagoda, Maria (July 16, 2015). "YouTube Star 'Angry Grandpa' Breaks Down When Son Surprises Him with a House (Video)". People. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  24. ^ Kim, Eun Kyung (July 13, 2015). "'This is yours': Watch this dad's sweet reaction to his son buying him a home". Today. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  25. ^ Dicker, Ron (July 14, 2015). "Son Buys 'Angry Grandpa' A House, No Pranks Attached". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  26. ^ Reiman, Samuel (December 16, 2016). "'Angry Grandpa' given a '55 Bel Air for Christmas, 50 years after losing his". Fox News. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Leone, Jared (December 22, 2016). "'Angry grandpa' gets dream car for christmas". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  28. ^ Brodesco, Alberto (January 1, 2017). "Montare cacca: intorno al fenomeno "YouTube Poop"" [Whipping up poop: About the "YouTube Poop" phenomenon] (PDF). Cinergie: Il Cinema e le Altre Arti (in Italian). 11: 22. ISSN 2280-9481. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  29. ^ Hudak, Joseph (November 27, 2015). "Hear Waylon Jennings Sing 'Outlaw Bit' on Tour in 1979". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  30. ^ "Charles Green Obituary". The Post and Courier. December 12, 2017. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  31. ^ a b Baumgartner, Scott (December 11, 2017). "'Angry Grandpa': 5 Things To Know About The YouTube Star Who Sadly Died At 67". Hollywood Life. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  32. ^ "Lowcountry man known as 'Angry Grandpa' on YouTube passes away". WCSC-TV. December 12, 2017. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2021.

Further reading

External links