[imagesource:vernonkoekemoer/facebook]

The legendary ‘South African Chuck Norris’, Vernon Koekemoer, has died.

Known to family as Cassie Booyse, he passed away on the 14th of August at the age of 67 after lengthy health struggles.

Koekemoer exploded onto the South African zeitgeist after a famous 2008 photograph of him at the H2O Party went viral. What made his instant fame more remarkable was that social media sites like Instagram and TikTok were not even a thing back then.

Those tight black shorts and killer Buffalo shoes made Booyse an instant celebrity and in the months following he became a popular addition to the Gauteng party scene and even appeared in several TV adverts, most notably the Nando’s one alongside the real Chuck Norris.

Booyse might have been our version of the Hauk Tau girl, but in real life, he was just a normal guy living a normal life with his partner of 11 years, Linda Coetzee.

Booyse was left bedridden and fighting for his life after a series of disastrous hip-replacement surgeries between 2018 and 2022. With the cost of all the surgeries taking its toll on the couple, Linda launched a BackaBuddy crowdfund to raise funds for Booyse to access private care. At the time, Goodthingsguy reported that they had received R150,000 in donations from across the country.

Two years later Linda announced his tragic passing on Wednesday, believed to be the result of a stomach cancer he had developed. As a testament to his popularity and the impact he had on the rave scene, H2O’s official Facebook page also paid tribute to Vernon Koekemoer.

Rest in Peace Vernon, and enjoy the big rave in the sky.

[source:goodthingsguy]