YouTuber Andrew Cross passes away at 36 after life support is removed following a tragic accident

Prominent adventurer Andrew Cross has died aged 36 after being taken off life support a month after he was involved in a ‘severe’ car accident in Colorado.

Andrew, known as ‘Desert Drifter’ to half a million fans on YouTube, died peacefully on Tuesday, having sustained a serious brain injury in the January 31 crash.

‘Andrew’s spirit is free, surrounded by light and love,’ the explorer’s sister, Jenna Spooner, announced on the CaringBridge website.

She told how those with Andrew before his passing put him on a mobile ventilator and walked a loop around the ICU with him, staff lining the hallway to ‘honor him’.

‘Then in the room, friends and family read scripture, prayed, and sang during the process of removing life support and for over an hour afterwards.’

The family said earlier this week they had made the ‘difficult decision’ to remove Andrew from life support, after acknowledging his discomfort in late February.

Andrew described his vlogging as ‘exploration and adventure with a historical twist’, documenting desert tours and mountain climbs for hundreds of thousands of viewers.

The Virginia-born adventurer was tragically involved in a two-car accident at the end of January, when he was rear-ended at high speed while stopped.

The Mesa County Coroner’s Office in Colorado confirmed to TMZ on Wednesday that Andrew had died from injuries sustained in the crash.

YouTuber Andrew Cross aka ‘Desert Drifter’ was taken off life support and died, at age 36, on Tuesday morning after spending over four weeks in the ICU on life support (pictured January 17)

The other driver Ragnar Nickolas Kristl was charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, careless driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (pictured in 2023)

Andrew Cross known as the ‘Desert Drifter’ died on Wednesday after a car accident in Jan

Jenna Spooner had written just a day before that the coming together of family of friends to help Andrew let go was ‘peaceful and beautiful’.

He ‘really lived life to the fullest’, she reflected in a message to thousands of supporters.

‘His story and impact isn’t over yet. It’s been wonderful to get to know him in new ways as we’ve seen photos and stories shared by so many. 

‘We look forward to more of that as we honor a life well lived.’

Jenna announced on Sunday that the family had made the decision to remove Andrew from life support.

They said it could ‘be minutes, days or weeks’ before he died after turning off support.

‘We know that a life dependent on machines is not what Andrew wants. It’s not God’s will for Andrew, either,’ she said.

The family had previously reported that Andrew was stable, but had become more visibly uncomfortable, ‘grimacing with procedures like brushing his teeth or adjusting his position in bed’.

Andrew’s family had raised over $482,000 from a $510,000 goal on GoFundMe to help support his wife, Evelyn, financially for medical bills, food, or any other expenses that may come up.

The Virginia-born, Colorado-based adventurer’s sister Jenna Spooner revealed his passing ‘was peaceful and full of love in the room with [his wife] Evelyn (L, pictured in 2023) by his side, his parents, and close friends nearby’

The former Wildland Trekking guide’s family have raised over $482K from a $510K goal on GoFundMe to help support Evelyn financially for medical bills, food, or any other expenses that may come up

Cross was married to the speech-language pathologist for over three years, who told followers in a February 2 YouTube video that ‘your prayers and support really mean the world’.

‘We’re so grateful to all of you for watching his videos. It’s mind blowing to us that you want to show up and watch them.’

Evelyn told TMZ that Andrew’s injuries impacted his ability to regain consciousness.

After weeks of ‘prayer, information gathering, and discussion’, his family had to make the decision on Monday.

‘We’ve been extensively reviewing medical studies and other info, getting second (and third and fourth) opinions, consulting with Andrew’s doctors, and doing all we can to consider every possibility,’ Jenna said at the end of February.

‘The statistics about Andrew’s likelihood to have a moderate recovery, or even regain consciousness, are discouraging. And it seems like the more info we get, the bleaker the picture.’

Spooner wrote on CaringBridge.org: ‘Before removing Andrew from life support yesterday, they put him on a mobile ventilator and walked a loop around the whole ICU while all the available staff lined the hallway as a way to honor him’

She continued: ‘Then in the room, friends and family read scripture, prayed, and sang during the process of removing life support and for over an hour afterwards. It was peaceful and beautiful’

On Wednesday, the Mesa County Coroner’s Office in Colorado confirmed to TMZ that Cross died from ‘injuries sustained in a ‘severe’ two-car accident on January 31, when he was rear-ended at high speed while waiting at a stoplight’ (pictured in 2023)

On Wednesday, the Mesa County Coroner’s Office in Colorado confirmed to TMZ that Cross died from ‘injuries sustained in a ‘severe’ two-car accident on January 31, when he was rear-ended at high speed while waiting at a stoplight.’

The other driver Ragnar Nickolas Kristl was charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, careless driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The former Wildland Trekking guide – who was on his way home from filming at Bears Ears – was rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency brain surgery in order to control the bleeding on his brain.

The Patreon content creator had 676,000 social media followers, whom he referred to as his Desert Drifter community.

His fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to Andrew and send their condolences to his family in wake of the tragic news. 

‘I’m completely shattered. Desert Drifter was an inspiration to me and I eagerly awaited every video he dropped,’ one fan wrote on X, hailing the late YouTuber as ‘young, kind, adventurous, and soulful’. 

In a message directly to Andrew, one fan tweeted: ‘Thank you for taking me places I will never go. Thank you for sharing the deep rooted history of the West. I just know your soul is wondering around the West freely and out of pain. I’ll see you in the stars. Rest easy.’

His fans – whom the influencer dubbed as the Desert Drifter community – have taken to social media to pay tribute to Andrew, applaud his work and send their condolences to his family in wake of the tragic news

Another member of the Desert Drifter community shared how she ‘gained so much information from Andrew’s adventures’ and ‘wonderful filming’.

‘I felt as if I was right there walking with him,’ she added. ‘I just want to say to his family, I am sorry for your loss. I will miss him.’

Dozens of fans hailed Andrew’s work and thanked him for ‘brining us the beautiful and amazing West of the US’.

One fan wrote: ‘He showed bits and pieces of the amazing nature and archaeology of the canyons in the American West to all of us who will likely never see it. His respect for nature and the indigenous history was admirable, what a terrible loss.’

‘Andrew Cross provided all of us an opportunity to see the wonders of ancient Native American culture in the American Southwest,’ echoed another.