The American D-Day veteran and TikTokker Jake Larson, also known as Papa Jake, has passed away at the age of 102. On social media, he shared stories with over a million followers about his time as a soldier during World War II.
Larson’s granddaughter McKaela writes on Instagram that it was a “peaceful death.” “And he was still making jokes until the very end.” Furthermore, she asks for privacy for her and her family.
Born in Minnesota, Larson joined the National Guard in 1938. He was fifteen years old at the time and had lied about his age to participate. The minimum age is seventeen.
In 1944, he was one of the approximately 160,000 Allied soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy to liberate Western Europe from German occupation. That day went down in history as D-Day. He also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the last major offensive of Nazi Germany.
In recent years, Larson has become known as ‘Papa Jake’ on TikTok, among other platforms. He shared stories about his experiences as a soldier in World War II and people he fought with. Occasionally, there was also room for some humor.
Emmy for interview eighty years after D-day
In 2024, exactly eighty years after D-Day, Larson said in an interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN that he did not see himself as a hero. He mainly wanted to tell the stories of his friends who died in the war. “We were all prepared to give our lives to give Hitler (Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, ed.) what he deserved. And we did.”
For that interview, at a cemetery for American soldiers who died during D-Day, Amanpour won an Emmy. She shared that honor with Larson by sending her trophy to him.
His father was “overwhelmed with joy” that he was able to receive that Emmy, son Jake Larson tells CNN. The trophy is now in his living room and will be passed on to family members.