
D-Day veteran war hero and TikTok star who survived German gunfire on Normandy beaches dies aged 102
Papa Jake Larson survived German gunfire on Normandy beaches in 1944 and then gained over 1.2 million followers by sharing stories to commemorate World War II and his fallen comrades.
4
4
The war hero's grieving granddaughter McKaela announced his death on social media, sharing how he passed "peacefully" on Thursday.
She wrote: "An animated speaker who charmed strangers young and old with his quick smile and generous hugs, the self-described country boy from Minnesota was cracking jokes til the end."
McKaela added: "As Papa would say, love you all the mostest."
Tributes have poured into his Story Time with Papa Jake TikTok account.
Meanwhile towns around Normandy, still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis in World War II, paid him homage too.
Born in 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938.
The war hero had lied about his age as he was just 15 years old at the time.
In 1942, he was sent overseas and was stationed in Northern Ireland before becoming operations sergeant and assembling the planning books for the invasion of Normandy.
He was among the nearly 160,000 brave allied troops who stormed the Normandy shore on D-Day, June 6, 1944, surviving machine-gun fire when he landed on Omaha Beach.
Larson said at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June: "We are the lucky ones. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive."
Nazi Hunters Thomas Will Ludwigsburg Germany Robin Perrie
It represents one of the defining moments of the war and of evil Hitler's defeat.
Larson's incredible service earned him a Bronze Star and a French Legion of Honor award.
In recent years, Larson made repeated trips to Normandy for D-Day commemorations and at every stop.
And since gaining social media popularity too, Papa Jake was greeted by people asking for a selfie - but offered big hugs instead.
One memorable encounter came in 2023, when he came across Bill Gladden, a then-99-year-old British veteran who survived a glider landing on D-Day and a bullet that tore through his ankle.
He told Gladden as they held hands: "I want to give you a hug, thank you. I got tears in my eyes. We were meant to meet."
Gladden passed away the following year.
In his TikTok posts that have accumulated hundreds of thousands of views and likes, Larson combined humorous anecdotes with somber reminders about the horrors of war.
Speaking of his social media fame in 2023, he said: "I'm just a country boy. Now I'm a star on TikTok. I'm a legend! I didn't plan this, it came about."
Larson has previously refused to call himself a "hero" and asked world leaders to "make peace not war".
4
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
The Weeknd and Shakira will headline Global Citizen Festival supporting energy access and the Amazon
The Weeknd and Shakira — two of the world's biggest touring artists — will headline this fall's Global Citizen Festival in New York 's Central Park, supporting campaigns to improve energy access across Africa and defend the Amazon against deforestation. Global Citizen announced Tuesday that the pop stars behind such hits as 'Blinding Lights' and 'Hips Don't Lie" will be joined by Tyla, Ayra Starr and Mariah the Scientist at the concert on Sept. 27. Hosted by actor Hugh Jackman, the annual event highlights the anti-poverty nonprofit's selected humanitarian priorities and urges attendees to collectively tackle those issues through direct support. 'The fact that these artists have immediate proximity to communities that have either recently emerged out of extreme poverty, or are emerging out of extreme poverty, gives them amazing perspective,' Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans told The Associated Press. 'And they bring that perspective into Central Park at this moment where I think the world needs a moment of unity now more than ever.' The festival's goals involve securing commitments to bring clean, reliable energy to 1 million people in Africa; mobilizing $200 million for indigenous and local entrepreneurs to protect an Italy-sized chunk of the Amazon rainforest; and raising at least $30 million to help community-based education programs improve children's literacy. Tickets to the festival are free, but fans must earn them by taking actions through the Global Citizen app. Opportunities include uploading videos calling on German and French leaders to back the Amazon protection plan and volunteering to mentor young people worldwide in career development. This year's calls to action reflect the changing nature of online advocacy campaigns. Organizers find that social media posts and email-driven appeals don't carry the same weight as they did when Global Citizen first started rallying concertgoers. Evans said user-generated content such as a self-recorded clip creates "quality engagement" and makes it almost impossible to game the system. In The Weeknd and Shakira, Global Citizen is reuniting with previous artistic supporters at a time when they are packing stadiums. The Weeknd, who this month wrapped a four-night run of sold-out performances at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, is donating $1 from every ticket sale to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. Shakira, who recently completed seven consecutive sold-out shows in Mexico City, joined Coldplay onstage during a 2017 edition of the festival in Germany. "Music has always been my way of connecting with people and leaving a mark on the world," Shakira said in a statement. 'I can't wait to perform, unite, and inspire action.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit


Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NFL coach Jim Harbaugh goes viral in bizarre clip of him peeking through a curtain to watch his team practice
The Los Angeles Chargers were back in practice on Monday and nobody seemed to be happier about it than their eccentric head coach, Jim Harbaugh. As preparations for the 2025 campaign stepped up and the players got back out onto the practice field, a Chargers admin caught Harbaugh bizarrely staring through a curtain at his players. To make things seem even more suspicious, Harbaugh was wearing a cap and sunglasses, almost as if he was trying to disguise his appearance. The team itself clearly saw the funny side given they posted it out onto social media, simply writing as the caption: 'Wait for it'. Fans immediately leapt onto the image of Harbaugh, with some comparing it to Jack Nicholson 's 'Here's Johnny' scene from the 1980 horror film The Shining. Another fan described Harbaugh as 'a national treasure' while a different Chargers supporter replied saying: 'I love it - definitely my new meme template.' wait for it — Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 21, 2025 Harbaugh has never made any secret of how much he enjoys the first day of training camp ahead of a new campaign. Speaking in July 2024 ahead of his first season leading the team he said: 'It's like New Year's Day. It feels like being born. It feels like coming out of the womb. 'You're in there. It's comfortable and safe, and now you're out. You're born. Lights are on, it's bright, chaos, people looking at you, people talking at you, and it just feels good to have it happen.' But perhaps Harbaugh is especially excited this time around after having a difficult offseason. The 61-year-old underwent a successful heart procedure and hip replacement surgery earlier this year. He told reporters in June: 'The doctors can't find anything wrong with me. It would take my heart stopping for me not to be out there on the sideline.' The Chargers start the season with a bang, heading to Brazil to face last season's Super Bowl runners-up, the Kansas City Chiefs, in Sao Paulo on Friday, September 5. They follow that game with a trip to Vegas to play the Raiders before hosting the Denver Broncos in Week 3.


Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Selling Sunset's Emma Hernan, 33, SPLITS from 'MAGA boyfriend' Blake Harris, 28, after her ex-best-friend Chrishell Stause's fiery feud with him
Selling Sunset star Emma Hernan has split from her boyfriend Blake Harris, months after her ex-best-friend Chrishell Stause became embroiled in a fiery feud with him. The realtor, 33, was first publicly linked to developer Blake, 28, in December after dating for a year, but the pair are now believed to have gone their separate ways. Emma took to her Instagram Stories on Monday to hint at her relationship status as she described herself as 'single' while on a helicopter ride with her friends. Filming herself flashing the peace sign, a caption read: 'POV: You're single for the summer getting your passport stamped.' Emma has not officially confirmed her split from Blake or addressed their relationship status, though TMZ first reported they had gone their separate ways. MailOnline has contacted Emma's representatives for further comment. The news of their split comes after Emma's former best friend Chrishell, 44, became embroiled in a very public spat with Blake, accusing him of saying 'pronouns are dumb' The news of their split comes after Emma's former best friend Chrishell, 44, became embroiled in a very public spat with Blake. In May, Chrishell, 43, responded to a comment on Instagram after fans noticed the once inseparable friends had not been posting pictures together online. The fan asked: 'What's happening with you and Emma? Hot topic on Reddit.' Chrishell made some bombshell allegations about Blake as she replied: 'Ask her about her MAGA bf who told me pronouns are dumb and that he likes to use the N word. 'I just can't with that. Too old to allow that in. But love her from afar.' However, real estate agent Blake broke his silence on her allegations and claimed to have only met Chrishell 'a handful of times'. 'The meeting at Ms Stause's home took place in January 2024, and this was the last time I saw or spoke to Ms Stause,' he claimed. 'We are barely acquaintances and we know very little about each other's beliefs and lives.' In May, Chrishell made accusations about Blake while responding to a comment on Instagram after fans noticed the once inseparable friends had not been posting pictures together online He claimed that he and Chrishell 'have never discussed political views' and argued he 'does not use derogatory language about anyone'. However, he admitted he did mistakenly call Chrishell's partner G Flip 'Ms. Stause's wife', though the Australian drummer uses the gender neutral pronouns they/them. 'The only time we had a real conversation was when I met Ms Stause at her house with Emma. I regretfully referred to G Flip as Ms Stause's wife,' he claimed. 'Ms Stause corrected me that they were partners and that G Flip goes by the pronoun them. 'Since, I have respectfully used the preferred pronouns.' Blake also said he remained 'committed' to Emma in very rare comments about their relationship, as Emma generally keeps her private life out of the spotlight. 'Aside from a few breaks we have taken due to distance and other personal issues, we remain committed to each other,' he added in comments made shortly before their split emerged. As recently as February 2025, the former besties had interacted with each other on social media and they are both pictured with Chelsea Lazkani in December 2024 'I am a supportive partner to Emma and I fully support her friendship with Ms Stause.' The state of once-inseparable best friends Emma and Chrishell's current relationship is not known. As recently as February 2025, the former besties had interacted with each other on social media. The Selling Sunset co-stars' feud was reportedly filmed for the upcoming season of the show and will play out when season nine premieres.