Who was Lorenzo Buffa aka Cabinfruit? TikTok star passes away at the age of 29

TikToker Cabinfruit, whose real name is Lorenzo Buffa, passed away at the age of 29. The influencer, who is known for his content documenting his life in the woods, shared a post on Instagram on January 5, 2025, stating that he was "back with Myles." He was referencing his dog who passed away in 2023.

While no official cause of his death has been confirmed fans and social media users have speculated that the TikToker may have taken his own life. However, neither the TikToker's family nor anyone close to him have confirmed the cause of his death.

In his post, Buffa hoped to reunite with Myles and apologized to everyone before adding that a few people knew they could have shown him love "but refused." He noted that "after a while, [I] was only left with a monster," who broke him down over five years.

He claimed that he was "trapped with Stockholm Syndrome feeding on the morsels of hope and love." Cabinfruit noted that these "morsels" were rare and taken away before the "punishment came."

Cabinfruit continued to talk about his declining mental health, discussing his relationship with his former partner, "Ryan St Pierre of Buffalo."

"My ex Ryan broke me into nothing and I tried to make it through this but i couldn't. I had seen evil and it was from a place where i only ever believed and imagined love," he wrote on the social media platform.

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Lorenzo Buffa was a successful entrepreneur and marketer before becoming a social media sensation—Cabinfruit

Lorenzo Buffa, aka Cabinfruit, was a successful entrepreneur and marketer who dived into the world of social media. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania influencer has a B.S. in Industrial and Product Design from the University of the Arts in the city.

Throughout his career, he participated in various business programs, including one from Babson College. According to his LinkedIn profile, Buffa began his career interning with DesignPhiladelphia before working as an industrial design shop technician at his alma mater. He was also a senior lecturer at the university between August 2016 and August 2018.

At the time, he also worked as an independent consultant, providing design, marketing, and project management services to both small and large-scale clients. Per his website, he has worked with companies and brands like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Mercedes-Benz, Comcast, Kickstarter, and Maker's Mark.

In August 2013, Lorenzo Buffa started his company, Analog Watch Co. Describing his business venture, Cabinfruit told The Philadelphia Citizen in November 2017 that they had a watch made from rock, calling it "pretty much the opposite of an Apple watch." He said that since people had phones in their pockets all the time, a "timepiece can serve more as a work of art."

"I’m a naturalist. Business and capitalism are quite contradictory when you compare them to being in a field meditating or picking flowers. The way I reconcile being in the modern world and running a business is by incorporating nature as much as possible," he continued.

Per LinkedIn, in October 2018, Cabinfruit launched Something Socks, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce sock brand. He sold off both businesses in 2020. He later worked at Innovation Lab PHL, Bandly, and Gettacar.

Sometime in 2021 (according to his LinkedIn and Instagram posts), Buffa went on a sabbatical from everyday hustle and started his TikTok account, Cabinfruit. His content centered around living in nature and creating DIY (Do It Yourself) furniture. He also focused on healing and mental health, and within 500 days of setting up his account, it amassed over a million followers.

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What did Lorenzo Buffa say in his IG post?

In his final Instagram post, Cabinfruit explained that no one could understand the "psyche of loss" under "such cruel treatment." He noted that he lost many friends because he was "unstable," but no one cared to question the reason behind his actions.

Buffa stated that there were times his ex, Ryan, would "love on (him)," something he "craved," but he added that he only knew "abusive love." The influencer explained that he was isolated and didn't have anyone to turn to.

"This isn't a broken heart ending this is a person saying I have to be the pain of this persons psychological abuse," he wrote on Instagram.

Cabinfruit revealed that he was taken for granted and felt like he was never good enough. He suggested that he was physically and psychologically abused by Ryan. Buffa explained that people could have helped him but turned their backs on him, adding that he had no choice anymore.

According to a Facebook post by Buffa's friend, user @Amazing Strays TNR, a celebration of life is planned, details of which will be announced at a later date.