Zepa’s sudden death was announced via one of her social media accounts on Monday (6 Apr).
A statement read: “Please accept my apologies for this sudden message. Zepa has passed away unexpectedly.
“I would like to apologise on her behalf for bringing you this news. The funeral was held privately with family members only.
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“We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness and support you showed her during her lifetime.”
Zepa, whose legal name has not been made public, had built a huge following of more than 1.4 million fans across social media.
On YouTube alone, she attracted over 600,000 subscribers with her Jirai-kei fashion videos and live-streamed drink taste tests.
The star, from Japan’s Kansai region, had originally dreamed of becoming a hairdresser.
But she later changed course on her mother’s advice and went on to study law at university.
Her cause of death has not been revealed, although she had previously spoken about struggling with alcohol and being in a low place.
She had also opened up about family issues and online abuse, as reported by Need To Know.
Since the tragic news broke, fans have flooded her pages with emotional tributes.
One wrote: “She was young, beautiful, and talented – it’s truly heartbreaking.”
Another said: “She was someone you wanted to watch on the toughest days. On nights you wanted to laugh, or nights you didn’t want to think at all, Zepa was there for you.
“She joked that she’d ‘keep uploading videos with zero content’, but for us, none of it was ever ‘zero’ – it’s all something precious that will stay with us.”
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