The Chile restaurant chain took to its official Twitter on Wednesday to mourn the death of Vine star Adam Perkins, who famously parodied the eatery in his viral video sketch ‘Welcome to Chili’s.
“We are saddened by the news that Adam Perkins has passed away,” tweeted the Texas-based restaurant group Wednesday after the death of the Boston-born influencer. “He made so many of us laugh and will always be remembered and cherished. Rest in peace, Adam. “
His family soon discovered that not all social media attendees would be so respectful.
Adam’s twin brother, Patrick Perkins, first announced via Instagram on Tuesday that his 24-year-old brother had died on April 11 – but chose not to disclose the cause of death.
Chili’s also shared with its 405,700 followers a moving TikTok montage curated by Patrick, in which the late star got a haircut, petted a dog and other candid snaps from his life.
Patrick captioned the moving editing: “Adam Perkins 1997 – forever and ever. I love you my brother. Always.”
This followed a series of heartwarming tributes from a variety of friends and admirers, including Instagram icon and fit-fluencer Amanda Cerny and Adam’s ex-boyfriend Kelton Elliot.
Sadly, while the majority of fans posted respectful tributes, others repeatedly teased Patrick about how Adam passed away.
The protective sibling of the late viral video star soon shut down curious posters. “I think I should take this opportunity to explain something to you: if the cause of death is not disclosed, there is a reason,” he wrote to his 64,700 followers on the ‘Gram.
Patrick added, “Each part of this has a purpose. Respect both of us by not asking that question… not sure how it’s not clear that I didn’t say it for a reason. Everything in this is intentional. Please respect that. “
Adam first gained online attention with the aforementioned ‘Welcome to Chili’s’ sketch in 2015 on the now-defunct Vine platform, in which he shouts the restaurant chain’s iconic slogan in his boxer shorts.
The viral clip garnered more than 20 million loops in one year and spawned multiple parodies and remixes.
He then made a series of humorous videos on the video-sharing app and popularized the hashtag #whiteteen.
Before Vine went bust, Perkins had amassed 290,000 followers.
Also a talented musician, the polyglot graduated from NYU with a degree in musical composition and released his first album, “Latch Relay” in 2018 under the moniker Plas Teg.