The influencer known as ‘Bank Lester’ passed away after accepting a high-stakes drinking dare.
A young influencer from Thailand has sadly lost his life after taking on a risky dare worth $875.
Thanakarn Kanthee, who was better known as ‘Bank Lester’ by his followers, tragically died on December 25 at just 21 years old.
The incident occurred in the Tha Mai district of Chanthaburi, Thailand, as reported by the Bangkok Post.
Sources say that the young man had been hired to attend a birthday celebration, where he was allegedly paid to drink bottles of whiskey as part of a challenge.
Thankam Kanthee collapsed and died after taking on a dareแบงค์ เลสเตอร์’/Bank Lester/ Thankam Kanthee/ Facebook
The Nation Thailand reported that Kanthee was offered 30,000 baht, equivalent to around $875, to drink two 350ml bottles of whiskey as part of the event.
However, things took a tragic turn when he began showing signs of illness shortly after completing the dare.
Witnesses said that after vomiting and losing consciousness, he was rushed to Songpeenong Hospital.
Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at 3:40 am on December 26, just hours after arriving at the celebration.
According to reports by the Thai Enquirer on Facebook, the official cause of death has been listed as acute heart failure.
However, it remains unclear whether the alcohol consumption directly contributed to his death or if underlying health conditions were a factor. Autopsy results are still pending.
Before his untimely passing, Thanakarn was both a student at Ritthiyawannalai School and a vendor who sold garlands to make ends meet.
He first rose to fame on Facebook after his catchy rap songs, which were created to attract customers, gained widespread attention online.
He was a garland sellerBank Lester/ Thankam Kanthee/ Facebook
It has also come to light that Thanakarn may have participated in similar dangerous stunts in the past to support his family and grandmother.
In one resurfaced video, he can be seen consuming hand sanitizer.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, he wrote: “I am willing to be bullied and insulted to just get scraps of money from the rich people in order to provide for my family.”
Another post, shared just days before his tragic death, read: “Nowadays, I don’t care who hates me, who doesn’t like me, I just ignore it and let it go because these days, I only care about the people around me.”
Videos of him downing the whiskey have gone viral on social mediapup_chanasit/TikTok
“If they don’t like me, that’s their problem, not my problem. My duty is to earn money and find happiness for myself, that’s enough.”
In connection with his death, police have arrested two fellow influencers—Ekachart “Em” Meephrom from Chanthaburi province and Theerawat Srirot from Pathum.
Authorities believe these individuals may have been involved in orchestrating the fatal dare, according to The Independent.
If it is proven that they paid Thanakarn to drink the fatal amount of alcohol, they could face charges under Section 291 of the Thai Penal Code for causing death through negligence.
Individuals convicted of this offense can face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht (around $580), or both.
Since his passing, heartfelt tributes have poured into Thanakarn’s Facebook page.
Friends and fans have described him as a kind-hearted individual who always managed to make others smile.
