Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Famed 'internet grandad' dies at 86

An 86-year-old retiree who created what was once the world’s most popular YouTube channel has died in England.

Internet_grandad_140402_SP.JPG

A British retiree whose YouTube channel "geriatric 1927" was once the most popular in the world has died aged 86.

Dubbed "internet grandad," Peter Oakley's brutally honest ramblings about life and death attracted a global audience of millions.

By his own admission, he was an unlikely internet user, let alone internet sensation.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

In one video, posted online in 2006, he described how he got started.

"I've got addicted to YouTube, so I thought I’d have a go at doing one myself," he said.

From there he posted 433 more videos.

"What I hope I'll be able to do is bitch and grumble from the perspective of an old person who’s been there and done that,” he said in one.

But the man nicknamed "internet grandad" by his fans, would ultimately document his battle with terminal cancer.

In his final video, recorded just a few weeks before his death, he said goodbye to fans.

"That's it really. So in conclusion, I would say my possibly final goodbye. So, goodbye."


1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: SBS



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world