TikTok Star Cooper Noriega's Family Speaks Out Following His Death: 'An Absolute Tragedy'

"There are no words to express the grief and loss," Cooper Noriega's dad wrote in an emotional message

Cooper Noriega's family members are remembering the late social media star following his tragic death.

The TikTok star's father, Harold Noriega, broke his silence on Friday, sharing an emotional statement on his Facebook.

"Today has been an incredibly difficult time for my family and me. We lost our beautiful 19 year old Cooper last evening," he wrote alongside a picture of his late son.

"He was loved by so many and truly the love of Treva's, Parker's and my life," Harold continued. "There are no words to express the grief and loss. It's not supposed to be this way. Your child is not supposed to pass before his parents."

The grieving dad added, "Cooper has touched so many people. He recently started a chat on Discord which grew to thousands for those to have a safe place to talk about mental health. My boy was a believer and I know he is in the presence of God. Thank you everyone. I love you all."

Cooper was pronounced dead on Thursday, a Los Angeles Medical Examiner-Coroner spokesperson told PEOPLE.

His cause of death has been deferred, which "means that after an autopsy, a cause of death has not been determined and the medical examiner is requesting more investigation."

"Once the tests/studies come back, the doctor evaluates the case again and makes the cause of death determination," the spokesperson explained.

On Saturday, sister Parker Noriega shared a statement on Cooper's Instagram page.

"Hi everyone. on behalf of our family we want to thank you all for the kind words of our little coop," Parker wrote. "His passing is an absolute tragedy to our family and loved ones."

"We pray that we all as a community can continue on his legacy. He loved each and everyone of you," Parker continued. "Please feel free to reach out to us as we love feeling all the support. Bless you all… with love, his sister."

On the same day, his mom, Treva Noriega, also wrote a heartfelt note regarding her son's death.

"My heart is forever broken but your my special angel and we have each other's hearts..," she shared. "I know my mom was holding her arms out bringing you to Heaven."

"You are finally experiencing the most pure joy and happiness," she said. "I'll see you one day my baby boy… your momma♥️"

Treva went on to express her gratitude for the support she received since her son's passing.

"As Cooper's mom I am overwhelmed by the love and support of so many people," she wrote. "My heart is forever broken. My baby had so many dreams and aspirations that we as a family will now carry on for him."

"Thank you everyone for loving my child…you always have my heart my sweet baby my sweet love," she concluded.

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Days before his death, Noriega announced he had created a Discord server dedicated to discussing mental health.

"I've been struggling with addiction since I was 9 years old," he wrote in a post shared on Instagram last week. "I would like to use the influence I've been given to create a space built on spreading awareness and normalizing talking about mental illness."

"One of the many things I've learnt while struggling with addiction was that surrounding yourself will only bring you down," he continued, adding that he hoped the server could "bring us all together and create a safe space where people can vent and help others through their tough times."

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.