Matthew Crowley brought joy to millions on social media over the last decade, starting out by posting song covers on his YouTube channel before setting up his TikTok account
Matthew Crowley has been fondly remembered since his tragic death last week
A Derby man who brought joy to millions online has been fondly remembered by his older sister in a touching tribute following his death.
Matthew Dean Crowley died on Friday morning (May 8) aged just 27, leaving behind an impactful footprint on both TikTok and YouTube.
He brought joy to millions on social media over the last decade, starting out by posting song covers on his YouTube channel, Matty Queen Bee, before setting up his TikTok account @mattisaplat.
His YouTube videos gained millions of views and more than 100,000 subscribers over the years, while his TikTok page had nearly 900,000 followers – and more than 11 million likes in total.
But to those dearest to him, Matthew was a ‘vibrant’ and ‘outgoing’ character who “had the ability to make you feel like the most important person in the world”.
He amassed an impressive following on social media over the years
Matthew grew up in Mackworth, attending Reigate Park Primary School and Murray Park School, and found a love for music from a young age.
“I honestly can’t remember a time when he wasn’t singing,” said Matthew’s sister, Becky Crowley.
“As social media started to become more popular, he started getting into it.
“He would sit for hours and hours making content online, perfecting his music and trying to spread love to all followers. You could really see him becoming such a little star and getting so much love from people all around the world – people would be eagerly waiting for the next post.
His family have set up a fundraiser to give him the send off he deserves
“He was always so excited to show you what new video he’d made.”
Matthew was always open and honest about his struggles with addiction, and he used music and alcohol as an escape – but, according to Becky, he was still “full of life, extremely joyful, loving, and was always everyone’s best friend”, even at his lowest points.
He was a huge advocate for mental health awareness and could always relate to friends and family who were struggling.
“He never wanted anyone to struggle alone,” Becky added.
“Since his passing, I’ve had countless messages about how much Matthew meant to people, what he had done to support them, and how he had saved their lives.
“A lot of people liked to mention his amazing personality, and that he’d sprinkled his diva dust around to everyone who had encountered him.
“Even as his sister, I knew how much he was struggling, but anytime I needed him, he was still there. My childfree time, the majority of it was spent with him, as it was the most precious and enjoyable time of my life. He was just such an amazing human – he still is.”
Matthew loved his family, friends, and fans dearly, but also his cats: Princess, Lucifer and Munch.
Matthew leaves behind his mum, Donna, his sisters, Becky and Bethany, his brother, Lewis, and his step-dad, Neil.
He’ll also be fondly remembered by Luke Nelson, his nieces Luna and Heidi, his nephew, Oliver, and his ex-partner Filip Gaffke, who Becky said was “like family to us all”.
Matthew and his little sister, Bethany
Shortly after his sad passing, a fundraiser was launched in Matthew’s memory, with hopes of arranging a “go big or go home” funeral, in “true Matthew style”.
Just three days later, nearly £6,000 has been raised by family, friends, and all those closest to Matthew – something Becky says “goes to show how important Matthew is.”
“We are planning to give Matthew a go big or go home funeral, one he would deserve, true Matthew style.
“We want his funeral to be a celebration of who Matthew was, so vibrant and full of energy. Matthew was inclusive to absolutely everyone, never judging anyone else.
“I want to say an absolute huge thank you to everyone who has donated and shared Matthew’s GoFundMe so far to help contribute to the funeral Matthew deserves.
“Matthew would feel so happy with the amount of love received. It really goes to show how important Matthew is.”
Anyone wishing to support the fundraiser can do so by clicking the link here.
