The cause of death for TikTok star and engineer Jainer Moises Pinedo Vargas, famously known as the “Dancing Engineer,” has been revealed.
Vargas passed away on Sunday, August 18, as a result of complications related to dengue fever.
According to local outlet Peru21, the 34-year-old content creator first contracted the disease on July 21 while in Condorcanqui Province, Peru.
Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease common in tropical and subtropical areas, is marked by symptoms including headaches, vomiting, and swollen glands.
Dengue fever is primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions. However, experts caution that as global temperatures rise, the mosquitoes responsible for spreading the disease are likely to expand their habitat into cooler northern latitudes.
Vargas’ condition deteriorated significantly after he developed pneumonia, resulting in his hospitalization in Bagua, as reported by Peru21. Upon discovering fluid buildup around his lungs, doctors transferred him to a larger facility in Chiclayo.
On August 14, as his illness intensified, Vargas required mechanical ventilation. Unfortunately, he later experienced respiratory arrest due to fluid re-accumulating in his lungs.
Ricardo Peña, the Deputy Minister of Health, informed Peru21 that tests conducted on Vargas during his stay in the ICU confirmed a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “It is most likely that this underlying disease is linked, precisely, to this outcome,” Peña explained to the outlet.
TikTok Star ‘The Dancing Engineer’ Shared a Hopeful Video Just Two Weeks Before His Passing
Two weeks before his passing, Vargas shared a video on social media of himself dancing in the hospital. In the clip, he stands beside his hospital bed, dressed in a gown and connected to a nasogastric tube. While dancing, his diaper slips down. The candid sketch charmed his over 50,000 followers.
“I’ve wanted to do this trend for a long time. Now with 20% energy I can do it. Obviously my ‘calvin kleins’ fell off,” he quipped in the caption over the footage.
“Sick people who don’t dance don’t die!! We are only with 20% of energy,” he wrote alongside the post.
Vargas gained widespread recognition for his choreography of the song “No se” by Explosion de Iquitos, which propelled him to fame in 2021. Since then, he has attracted over 53,000 followers on Instagram and 20,000 on TikTok.
Betty Vargas García, Vargas’ mother, later penned a heartfelt tribute to her son on Facebook. “Rest in peace, beloved son. We will miss you,” she penned, per Peru21.