What happened to Andrew Cross? YouTuber taken off life support, dies aged 36 a month after tragedy

YouTuber Andrew Cross has died aged 36. His sister Jenna Spooner revealed that he passed away on March 4 after being taken off life support. Prior to his passing, the content creator, who goes by the name of Desert Drifter on the video-sharing platform, was admitted to the hospital for a month after being involved in a car accident.

Jenna Spooner took to Caring Bridge on March 5 to share a statement that read that Andrew Cross’ spirit was “free, surrounded by light & love.” She stated that he passed away with “Evelyn [his wife] by his side, his parents and close friends nearby.” She said on the website that he died at 10:50 AM MST. The statement also read:

“It’s a big loss for all of us, and we’re immensely grateful for your steadfast support and prayers. Throughout all of this, it’s been our heart to stay full of faith, so we wouldn’t look back and wonder “what if…” Thank you for walking in that with us.”

Spooner shared that before Cross was removed from life support, he was put on a mobile ventilator and walked around the entire ICU where the hospital staff honored him. She added:

“Then in the room, friends & family read scripture, prayed, and sang during the process of removing life support and for over an hour afterwards ❤️ It was peaceful and beautiful Andrew really lived life to the fullest, and his story & impact isn’t over yet."

She added:

"It’s been wonderful to get to know him in new ways as we’ve seen photos and stories shared by so many. We look forward to more of that as we honor a life well lived.”

Andrew Cross was involved in a car accident on February 1. He has since been in the hospital, where doctors revealed that he had sustained a serious brain injury.

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Andrew Cross had amassed over 400,000 subscribers on YouTube

The Desert Drifter YouTube channel boasted nearly 60 videos that captured Andrew Cross’ adventures. His most popular video, titled I Found a Prehistoric Building on Top of America’s Most Famous Mountain, which was uploaded in October had amassed over five million views, with his channel having more than 474,000 subscribers.

The last video on the channel was uploaded by his wife, Evelyn. In February, she stated that Cross was “fighting for his life” in the ICU after sustaining a “very serious brain injury.” She went on to state that the community that he has built means a lot to both of them. Evelyn added:

“Those who feel comfortable praying. Please pray for him. For those of you who feel comfortable sending good thoughts please send those too.”

On Caring Bridge, where the Cross family shared updates with followers about his health, Spooner revealed on March 2 that they had made the “difficult decision” to remove the adventurer from life support. She added:

“The medical team has explained there’s no predictable timeline for how long someone will live once life support is removed… Andrew has committed his life to God and now we do the same, entrusting his care to our Creator.”

A GoFundMe fundraising campaign was also set up for his family, which would aid the Cross family in covering medical expenses. At the time of writing this article, it had amassed over $489,000.

Followers can likely expect further updates from Andrew Cross’ Caring Bridge page.