TikToker Grandma Rose, real name Reatha Grey, who was part of viral Retirement House comedy group dies at 75
TikTok star Grandma Rose, whose real name is Reatha Grey, has died aged 75.
The TikToker, known as a member of the viral comedy group Retirement House, died earlier, her co-star has announced. Her cause of death is not known at the time of writing.
Retirement House paid tribute to Grey on Instagram by sharing a series of photos and videos of the late star. The group wrote on Instagram: "Gone but never forgotten. The world is a better place because you walked through it." Reatha's co-stars also shared some individual tributes in a group video shared online as Mabel said: "You may remember her as the hilarious Grandma Rose on Retirement House, but of course, we remember her as a member of our family."
"She was hilarious, thoughtful, and above all else, loved interacting with everyone," Eugene added. In the video, there’s a montage of Grey in happy times - including showing her dancing, swimming and even bungee jumping. Her voiceover plays in the background and she says: "You have to grab that bull by its horns and just take it down and have no fear.
"Do things that make you happy, take time for yourself, and last but I think probably most important, is to always love. People will try to poke you and do things to make you hate them — just pay no attention to that. Just love and forgive, and you'll have a very happy and fulfilled life."
Grey joined Retirement House, a comedy group described as "six seniors in our golden years", in 2021. With 1.8 million followers on Instagram and 5.9 million on TikTok, the group gained over four billion views across social media.
In 2022, Grey said her comedy group had brought seniors together after many elderly people found themselves isolated during the coronavirus pandemic. She told the New York Times: "You see so many stories of older people that are not happy, because as you get older, you lose friends, you lose relatives, you don't have people to share your life with. We're actually building shared memories together - and it's on videotape."
Many fans posted messages of condolence and tributes to Grey online. One person said: “Oh man . I hope the love we saw surrounding her was real. I loved her and since I didn’t have grandmas of my own I used to pretend like she was mine. I know that sounds weird but whatever . Sleep sweet.”
Another person said: “I watched the clip from the morning and it feels like we lost a friend. What a beautiful person she was. I’m glad we got to share in the joy it must have been to know her in person.”