Jonathan Grant Thompson † (November 21, 1980 - July 29, 2019 [aged 38]), better known online as The King of Random or TKOR, was an American YouTuber. He uploaded videos of experiments, life hacks, and random weekend projects.
Content[]
Grant's most viewed video titled "How To Make LEGO Gummy Candy!" was uploaded on May 25, 2015, and shows users how to make edible LEGO bricks with Jell-O.
In 2018, Grant took a step back from headlining the channel, his former co-host, Nate, stepped up to run the channel as to allow Grant to spend more time with [his] family, and to do more work behind the scenes. October 25, 2018, saw the debut of a female co-host by the name of Calli.
On July 29, 2019, the creator of the channel, Grant Thompson, passed away due to a paramotoring accident at the age of 38.[1][2] His team now runs the channel, with the usual content.
Charges[]
In January 2018, Grant Thompson of South Jordan, Utah was charged with possession of an explosive device. The police were alerted by a concerned member of the public in June who claimed that he was making dry ice bombs in his garden, he subsequently posted videos of his dry ice bombs on YouTube.
On August 27, 2017, officers were forced to respond to an explosion at Thompson's home, where he explained that he "had a YouTube channel where he films science experiments, including explosions," according to KSL.com. He further explained that a friend had "left him with a bag of unknown powder substance", which he assumed was a firework that had been taken apart.[3]
Along with Timothy Burgess, he allegedly decided to light the powder - initially in small batches before deciding to ignite a bigger pile. According to the charge, this explosion sent "small flaming particles into the air, some of which embedded themselves into Burgess' leg and arm after burning off some of his hair." The responding firefighters claimed to have heard the blast at their station which was located 350 yards, they soon responded to the detonation of an explosive at his house, according to reports.
Thompson was then charged on the following Tuesday with two counts of possessing an explosive device, and Burgess was also charged with one count.[4][5]
Death[]
On July 29, 2019, Grant passed away from a paramotoring accident at age 38. Memorials have been posted to the channel's social media accounts, the channel itself, and the socials of many people who knew him. The cause of death, as confirmed by Grant's brother Mark Thompson in a TMZ article and his Discord admins, was from a paragliding accident.[6] Grant has inspired millions of people, he "encourages you to never stop being curious" - TKR . Nate and Calli continue Grant legacy they upload videos daily and created a Scholarship called Grant Thompson Memorial Outward Bound Scholarship.
Quotes[]
- “For this video I’m going to show you how to take a few simple ingredients, and make mountains and mountains of your own custom gummy candies at home.”
- “For this project I’m going to show you how to take homemade treats to the next level, by making your own silicone candy molds at home.”
- “For this project I’m going to show you how to use the secrets of the Force to turn a handful of gummy bears into custom Star Wars gummies.”
- “He’s tall, I’m short, get over it.”
- “In today’s video we’re gonna see if we can follow a recipe and make some giant oversized Skittles.”
Trivia[]
- Grant and his wife have four children.
- In addition to Grant's YouTube channel, he was an airline pilot and built a real estate business. He worked in the transportation industry and even got a job in Hawaii flying cargo.
- Grant was inspired to start making videos by the videos created by Kipkay for Make Magazine.
- Grant had the police or fire station come to his house after hearing or being called about his backyard experiments.
- Grant started his YouTube channel because he wanted to learn how the world works and wanted to share his findings and never thought of it as a job.
- Grant got the name for his YouTube channel from his brother when one day he said "Grant, you are like The King of Random".
- After Grant's death, the team of The King of Random continued creating content on the channel.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.tmz.com/2019/07/30/king-of-random-youtube-star-grant-thompson-dead-dies-paragliding-accident/
- ↑ https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2019/07/30/arh-body-of-missing-paraglider-found-south-of-hurricane/#.XUDS4OhKiUn
- ↑ https://www.ksl.com/article/46323231/science-themed-youtuber-from-utah-takes-plea-deal-in-explosives-case
- ↑ https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/01/18/utah-man-who-runs-popular-youtube-science-channel-is-charged-with-possessing-explosives-during-backyard-experiments/
- ↑ https://apnews.com/ff3613bd32934fd0bf270b19d9070032/Science-themed-YouTuber-takes-plea-deal-in-explosives-case
- ↑ https://www.tmz.com/2019/07/30/king-of-random-youtube-star-grant-thompson-dead-dies-paragliding-accident/