A well-known YouTuber woke up in hospital to learn his girlfriend had died after they ate a meal together.
Social media star Billy LeBlanc is known as the father of the LeBlanc family featured on the popular YouTube channel 'Bratayley'.
The channel was created to document his children's lives, gaining a substantial following in the process.
Taking to Instagram last night, the 44-year-old, from the US, said he and his girlfriend Natalie Clark recently contracted a virus called Vibrio Vulnificus after eating raw oysters.
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Vibrio Vulnificus is a rare bacterial infection from uncooked or undercooked fish that can prove to be fatal.
"I’m sure none of you know but I recently almost died. I was in the hospital for 12 days," the YouTuber wrote.
"Unfortunately Natalie didn’t make it and she passed away. I will always remember how we got lost everywhere together.
"I will always love her and miss her. Be safe and hold your loved ones tight you, never know when it’ll be the last time you see them."
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"We both got vibrio vulnificus from raw oysters," he added in the comments.
Natalie leaves behind her son Julian Clark, 17, who is an aspiring actor with his own YouTube channel.
"Thank you son for the best date ever! You are the best thing that ever happened to me," Natalie wrote last Mother's Day.
"We had the best talks to-and-fro and in between. I cannot wait to witness his future."
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Billy's mother, Yvette Berthelot LeBlanc, has since paid tribute to her son's girlfriend, writing on Facebook: "Natalie lost her life and Billy was very close to death in the ICU for 8 days.
"Please continue to pray for Natalie’s son Julian for her family and for Billy, both for his health and his heart."
According to the CDC, who 'works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats', roughly 65 percent of 80,000 vibrio cases every year are contracted from eating contaminated food.
Commenting on LeBlanc's Instagram post, one fan wrote: "As someone who was a long time fan back in the day I have to say this is extremely heartbreaking.
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"I don’t know why bad things happen to good people we will never know I hope that you take time to find peace during this hard time."
"Nobody deserves to lose both a son and a partner. Sending you my deepest condolences Billy," a second added.
This comes after LeBlanc's son Caleb passed away in 2015 at the age of 13 from sudden cardiac arrest due to undetected hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Topics: YouTube, Social Media
Anish Vij