Columbus native who rose to fame on TikTok dead at the age of 24. What we know.
A Columbus native who amassed a huge following on the social media app TikTok has died at the age of 24, according to the Muscogee County Coroner’s Office.
Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan confirmed to the Ledger-Enquirer that Marquay Elsie Collins, 24, was pronounced dead at 6:20 a.m. Wednesday at his residence. Collins is known as marquaythegoat on TikTok. He had over 7 million followers on the platform. His last post was shared Tuesday.
Bryan said Collins had been involved in a car accident on Nov. 7 in Atlanta and was sent to the hospital, but was released the same day. He shared a video that appeared to be from the scene of the crash, according to his TikTok page.
After returning home, Collins complained of headaches, neck, shoulder and spine pain, according to Bryan. He said Collins also complained to his brother about shortness of breath.
The cause of Collins’ death was undetermined as of Friday, Bryan said. Collins’ body will be transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in Decatur for an autopsy. The case is under investigation.
Collins went to Shaw High School and studied at Georgia State University, according to his Facebook page.
‘Marquay is no longer here with me’
Collins’ mother, Sonja Collins, posted about her son’s death, saying her heart is broken.
“My baby, my last one, my SnuggaBug, my Marquay is no longer here with me,” she said.
Sonja Collins said Marquay Collins was the “sweetest person” and “didn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
“I needed him longer than God allowed me to have him,” she said in her post.
Sonja Collins thanked everyone for their thoughts and prayers.
This story was originally published November 28, 2025 at 9:48 AM.