In a heartbreaking video shared on his channel, Harrell apologized to his fans, expressing, “It makes me feel like I’ve let everybody down.”
The gun-rights advocate and content creator, known for his outdoor videos, titled the six-minute posthumous video “I’m dead,” addressing his 1.14 million subscribers. “If you’re watching me, I’m dead,” Harrell stated in the video, which was filmed in December 2023 and released by his family on Tuesday, September 3, after his passing.
Harrell recorded the message while sitting on a log in the forest, the same spot where he had previously informed his followers about his Stage 2 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Initially optimistic, he told viewers the cancer had been “caught early” and he expected to live “for some time.”
However, in his final video, he shared that the disease had progressed more rapidly than anticipated.
“We did catch it early, but not as early as I thought,” Harrell explained, adding that his condition worsened much faster than expected. “My time is drawing very short.”
Appearing with crutches due to a fractured hip—an injury caused by cancer spreading to his bones—Harrell apologized to his fans for the sudden turn of events. “I had hoped to continue in this format for the next 10 or 15 years,” he said. “Even after my diagnosis, I thought we had two or three more years, but it’s only been a few months.”
The video’s comments section was flooded with messages of love and appreciation for Harrell, with many fans praising him for his contributions to the community. “Thank you, Paul, for everything!” one supporter wrote. Another remarked, “Even beyond the grave, the humor is dark but fitting. We’ll miss you, Paul.”
The video concluded with a message from Harrell’s editor and manager, Brad Nelson, who expressed his admiration for the YouTuber. “I had the great privilege of having Paul in my life as a friend. He was generous, kind, and told the best campfire stories,” Nelson said.
