“A star ascended”: Baddie Winkle, the internet’s baddest grandma, dies at 97

One of the world’s oldest internet sensations—the legendary Baddie Winkle—passed away at age 97, according to her Instagram account. Winkle rose to fame in 2014 with the help of her great-granddaughter, Kennedy Dechet, posting twerking videos on Vine and fabulous and stylish selfies on the app formerly known as Twitter.

Baddie Winkle, culture warrior and age defier

Baddie Winkle, born Helen Elam Van Winkle, died on Sept. 4, 2025. The following day, Winkle’s Instagram account posted a brief obituary alongside a photo of the great-grandma in a white wig and shirt that said “bad mother******.”

“Yesterday, an era ended and a star ascended,” it reads. “This isn’t a goodbye, this is a See ya later my superstar.”

Characterized as both an influencer and an activist, Baddie Winkle sported outrageous outfits, often emblazoned with Gen Z slang, while advocating for cannabis legalization in the U.S. With every photo, she fought against the ageism and unrealistic standards set by the beauty industry, showing the world that true style defies all.

After Rihanna followed her in 2015, Winkle’s fame was sealed. She skyrocketed to a million Instagram followers, attended the MTV Video Music Awards as a guest of Miley Cyrus, and walked the Red Carpet for the Netflix promotion of Orange Is the New Black.

In 2016, she earned “Instagrammer of the Year” at the Shorty Awards and was named one of the Times’ “30 Most Influential People on the Internet.” That was also the year her social media tagline, “Stealing Your Man Since 1928,” went viral.

Fans react online

Dechet disabled comments on the Instagram account’s final post, but news soon spread across Winkle’s domain (every social media site). Baddie became too cool for Twitter or “X” sooner than many, with her last post dated January 2023, but the fans who remained paid tribute to her there.

“OMG WE LOST A BAD B****!!!” cried @ItsLovelyLaveau. “RIP Baddie Winkle.”

“THE LORD DONE CALLED BADDIEWINKLE HOME,” declared @easylikepheezy.

On Reddit, people spoke on the impact that Winkle had on their lives and the culture as a whole.

“I remember being 20 and helping out at the nursing home my grandma was at. And that’s when I was introduced to Baddie online,” wrote u/Ok-Highway-5247. “Her content made me a lot more at ease with the old folks. All of them were 90 and over. They want to have fun, too. It’s really only a stereotype that old people are grumpy and want to sit around.”

“I’m being 100% serious when I say she was so important for the culture,” said u/didiboy. “I think thanks to her, a lot of people realized how you can still be fun and unique at any age. We live in a society that pushes old people, especially older women, into such strict boxes.”

They concluded, “To me Baddie Winkle was proof that those boxes are just constructs, you can do whatever you want and express yourself however you want.”

The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.