Grandad Joe sparks concern amongst his TikTok followers following his latest video

We’re only three weeks into January and we’ve already had our fill of bad news, so we certainly couldn’t handle the death of a beloved social media star.

And yet, one TikTok legend nearly gave his six million TikTok fans a heart attack when he posted his latest video.

Grandad Joe has been a star on the platform for more than two years, thanks to his “wholesome family content” – not bad for an 89-year-old.

His most recent clip shows him standing alongside a snowman and is accompanied by the hashtag “miss you”.

Understandably, legions of viewers read the caption and instantly jumped to the conclusion that the sentimental message was directed at Joe himself.

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The video racked up more than 3.1 million views and 500,000 likes in a single day, as TikTokers rushed to express their relief that it was all a misunderstanding – or a cheeky prank.

“NO. I REFUSE TO BELIVE GRANDPA JOE IS DEAD,” one wrote.

“I THOUGHT IT WAS HIM, I ALMOST DIED,” commented another.

“You scared me for a second, love you grandad joe,” said a third.

When a fourth gushed: “I went from sad to mad to relieved,” Joe replied with a series of loving emojis adding: “Nice range of emotions.”

He later explained that no, he wasn’t dead, just sad that the snowman had melted.

For anyone who’s not familiar with the internet’s favourite octogenarian, his real name is Joe Allington, and he lives in Lichfield with his daughter Wendy.

She encouraged him to start posting content on TikTok app after noticing how popular the videos were that his granddaughter posted of him.

His first-ever TikTok, posted at the height of lockdown, showed him trying – in vain – to get groceries from his local supermarket. It has since racked up more than 50 million views.

Again, not bad for an 89-year-old – and long may those posts continue.

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