real life

How did this little Aussie girl die of a common cold?

This little girl from NSW made millions laugh out loud. The way she died this week is truly tragic

After the sudden, shocking death of Australian YouTube sensation Maddie Tippet, her parents Mick and Kerryn say they want their daughter remembered for the joy she brought millions of viewers around the world.

Not many children become famous at the age of one but Maddie Tippet from Newcastle was special. Her dad Mick filmed a hilarious video in January of 2012 during which he interrogated his daughter to find out, “Who’s your favourite” – mum or dad. She repeatedly says mum is her favourite, however the determined dad persists. The clip was viewed 9.5 million times around the world.

Mr Tippet originally made the video for Maddie’s grandparents in Perth ahead of his daughter’s first birthday. It became such a hit that it was featured on morning TV shows around the world and even US actor Zach Braff got in on the action, posting a follow up clip last August that can be viewed below.

Maddie with dad Mick and mum Kerryn.

Last week Maddie, 3, started showing 'cold-like symptoms'. Her parents put it down to the usual childhood sniffles however noticed she had become ' a bit listless' on Monday. They took her to a GP who said it was a virus they'd have to ride out however that night her condition deteriorated. Her parents rushed her to John Hunter Hospital but she died on Tuesday night.

Doctors discovered she had been suffering from two strands of the common cold, one of which attacked her heart.

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Mr Tippett said just “conked out’’. Both parents were holding their daughter when she passed away. “She happened to have these two types of viruses and the way they attacked her system ... it was just too much," he said.

Now her grieving parents would like her to be remembered as the little girl who made millions of people smile, 9.5 million to be exact. "Part of me feels that Maddie was meant to change the world and I feel sad that she didn't get the chance," her mother, Kerryn Tippett, told the Daily Telegraph. "But then I think in 10 years' time someone will be having a bad day at the office and sit down and click on that video and it will cheer them up. That will be her legacy."

They say they've been overwhelmed by messages of support from family and friends as well as people they'd never met who loved their daughter. One friend, John Palmer, posted on Facebook: “In your three short years you touched the souls of thousands of people with your infectious smile and wonderful, adorable personality.”

Watch Maddie in the original YouTube clip that made her an internet sensation:

Now watch 'Uncle Zach' explain to Maddie why daddy really should be her favourite:

Leave your messages of support for Maddie's family in the comments section below.