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World War II Veteran and TikTok Icon ‘Papa Jake’ Larson Dies at 102

His passing closes a chapter in D-Day remembrance by drawing new generations to frontline World War II accounts via his Emmy-winning TikTok series complemented by annual Normandy visits.

World War II veteran Jake Larson attends an event commemorating the D-Day landings at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France on June 6, 2023.
Attendees share a laugh with 102-year-old WWII and D-Day Landing US veteran Jake Larson, also known as "Papa Jake".
FILE - D-Day veteran Jake Larson, a 102-year-old who is also a star on TikTok, with 1.2 million followers, greets schoolchildren during a visit on June 2, 2025 in Colleville-sur-Mer, to the Normandy American Cemetery that is the final resting place for nearly 9,400 American war dead and which overlooks Omaha beach, one of the D-D-day invasion zones on June 6, 1944. (AP Photo/John Leicester, File)

Overview

  • Larson died peacefully on July 17 at age 102, a fact confirmed by his granddaughter McKaela Larson and met with tributes from family, Normandy memorial groups and his social media followers.
  • He enlisted in the National Guard at 15, stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day 1944 and fought through the Battle of the Bulge, earning both a Bronze Star and the French Legion of Honour for his valor.
  • After decades of annual returns to Normandy, Larson rose to digital prominence in 2020 as @storytimewithpapajake on TikTok, amassing over one million followers with his firsthand wartime and life stories.
  • His June 2025 interview with Christiane Amanpour marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day won an Emmy, highlighting his role in bridging veteran testimony to new audiences.
  • As one of the last living D-Day veterans, Larson leaves a legacy that merges military valor with modern storytelling to preserve living history for future generations.