Brian Henry Barczyk (September 6, 1969 – January 14, 2024) was an American

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

enthusiast, YouTuber, and founder of the Reptarium Reptile Zoo and Legasea Aquarium. He was also featured as a star on the TV series ''Venom Hunters'' by the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

. Barczyk had the third largest collection of snakes in the world with over 30,000 snakes and assisted with venom milking.

Early life and career

Brian Henry Barczyk was born on September 6, 1969. He grew fascinated with animals from a trip to the zoo at the age of two. Thereafter, Barczyk continued practicing his love for animals, specifically reptiles. He appeared on YouTube beginning in 2011, and starred on channels such as SnakeBytesTV. He collaborated with other YouTubers such as Jake Paul, Logan Paul, Marshmello, Liza Koshy, MrBeast, Coyote Peterson, and

David Dobrik David Dobrik ( Dávid Julián Dobrík (; ; born July 23, 1996)) is a Slovak Internet personality. He found early success on the video-sharing platform Vine, before starting his vlog on YouTube in 2015. In 2019, he co-founded the photography app ...

Personal life

In 1992, Barczyk married Lori Ann Herman; they had two children, Noah and Jade. All have an active interest in reptiles.

Illness and death

In 2023, Barczyk was diagnosed with inoperable

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

, which he revealed on his vlog. On January 5, 2024, he publicly stated that he would be entering

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

care. He died nine days later at his home in Michigan, at the age of 54.

References

1969 births 2024 deaths American zookeepers Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Michigan Place of birth missing YouTubers from Michigan {{YouTuber-bio-stub