{{Short description|American World War II veteran and TikToker (1922–2025)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox social media personality |name = Jake Larson |birth_name = Jake Melvin Larson<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/who-was-papa-jake-larson-ww2-veteran-tiktok-star-dies-at-102-13909815.html/amp|title=Who was Papa Jake Larson, the 102-year-old WWII hero and TikTok star who inspired millions?|work=Firstpost|date=July 21, 2025|access-date=July 21, 2025}}</ref> |image = D-Day Veterans at Normandy, 81st Anniversary (9082668) (cropped).jpg |caption = Larson in 2025 |birth_date = {{birth date|1922|12|20}} |birth_place = Hope, Minnesota, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|2025|07|17|1922|12|20}} |death_place = Lafayette, California, U.S. |occupation = TikToker |tiktok_handle = storytimewithpapajake |tiktok_display_name = Papa Jake |tiktok_years_active = 2020–2025 |tiktok_followers = 1.2 million |spouse = {{marriage|Lola Cassem|1945|1991|end=died.}} |module = {{Infobox military person | embed = yes | allegiance = United States | branch = Minnesota National Guard<br>United States Army | branch_label = Branch | service_years = 1938-1945 | service_years_label = | rank = Staff sergeant | rank_label = | service_number = | unit = 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division | commands = | known_for = | battles = World War II * Operation Overlord | battles_label = | awards = {{plainlist| * Bronze Star Medal * Legion of Honor}} | module = }} }}
'''Jake Melvin Larson''' (December 20, 1922 – July 17, 2025), also known as '''Papa Jake''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/papa-jake-tiktok-dday-anniversary-d049a9d5fab52932d341ca5a34fb49c5|title=Papa Jake survived D-Day on Omaha Beach, now he's a TikTok star|work=AP News|date=June 6, 2023|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2024/08/12/from-normandy-to-tiktok-wwii-veteran-shares-his-wartime-stories-through-online-videos/|title=From Normandy to TikTok: Bay Area WWII veteran shares his wartime stories through online videos|work=Times-Herald|date=August 12, 2024|access-date=July 20, 2025|first=Caelyn|last=Pender}}</ref><ref name="m">{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-nz/entertainment/celebrities/jake-larson-death-world-war-ii-veteran-and-tiktok-star-dies-aged-102/ar-AA1IYo5O?ocid=BingNewsSerp|title=Jake Larson death: World War II veteran and TikTok star dies aged 102|first=Shahana|last=Yasmin|work=The Independent|date=July 20, 2025|access-date=July 21, 2025}}</ref> was an American World War II veteran and TikToker. He was best known for sharing stories about his experiences of World War II on TikTok.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/07/20/papa-jake-larson-dies/|title='Papa Jake' Larson, D-Day veteran who became a TikTok star, dies at 102|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 20, 2025|access-date=July 20, 2025|first=Praveena|last=Somasundaram}}</ref>
== Early life and career == Larson was born in Hope, Minnesota,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/us/san-jose-sharks-normandy-la-measles.html|title=D-Day Veteran to Return to Normandy for First Time in 75 Years|first=Jill|last=Cowan|access-date=July 20, 2025|date=April 24, 2019|work=The New York Times}}</ref> the son of Fred Larson, a farmer, and Margaret Peterson.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/papa-jake-larson-obituary-d-day-veteran-and-tiktok-sensation-nvx62zbt9?msockid=191f3e4906a76a4512c42cdb07356b7c|title='Papa' Jake Larson obituary: D-Day veteran and TikTok sensation|work=The Times|date=July 25, 2025|access-date=August 1, 2025}}</ref> He joined the Minnesota National Guard in 1938.<ref name="m" /><ref name="ortiz">{{cite web |last1=Ortiz |first1=Miguel |title=D-Day veteran and beloved TikTok star Papa Jake Larson dies at 102 |url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/d-day-veteran-and-beloved-tiktok-star-papa-jake-larson-died-at-102/ |website=We Are The Mighty |access-date=July 21, 2025 |date=July 19, 2025}}</ref> He served with the 135th Infantry Regiment in the 34th Infantry Division in the United States Army during World War II.<ref name="b">{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/ww2-veteran-and-tiktok-star-papa-jake-larson-dies-aged-102/ar-AA1IXjuJ?ocid=BingNewsSerp|title=WW2 veteran and TikTok star 'Papa' Jake Larson dies aged 102|first=Jack|last=Burgess|work=BBC News|date=July 20, 2025|access-date=July 20, 2025|via=MSN}}</ref> During his military service, he held the rank of staff sergeant, and fought at Omaha Beach and the Battle of the Bulge,<ref name="ortiz"/> and was an operations sergeant who was involved in the planning of Operation Overlord.<ref name="a">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/us/papa-jake-larson-dies-ww2.html|title=Jake Larson, D-Day Veteran and TikTok Star, Dies at 102|work=The New York Times|date=July 20, 2025|access-date=July 20, 2025|first=Adeel|last=Hassan}}</ref> He was discharged from his military service in 1945.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://bestdefensefoundation.org/veteran/jake-m-larson/|title=SSGT Jake M. Larson|work=Best Defense Foundation|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref> For his military service, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Legion of Honor.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Duster |first1=Chandelis |title=Jake Larson, a WWII veteran who became a TikTok star as 'Papa Jake', has died at 102 |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/07/20/nx-s1-5474119/papa-jake-larson-wwii-veteran-obit |work=NPR |access-date=July 21, 2025 |language=en |date=July 20, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=French Consul General in San Francisco honors 10 veterans |url=https://www.ktvu.com/news/french-consul-general-in-san-francisco-honors-10-veterans |access-date=July 21, 2025 |work=KTVU FOX 2 |date=February 3, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery concludes D-Day 78 Anniversary (7677336).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Larson (bottom left) with Mark Milley, 2022]]
Larson created his TikTok account in June 2020.<ref name="a" /> His account went viral after his granddaughter posted a video about Larson's military service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forcesnews.com/social-media/papa-jake-100-year-old-tiktok-star-who-narrowly-escaped-death-d-day|title=Papa Jake: The 102-year-old TikTok star who narrowly escaped death on D-Day|work=Forces News|date=December 5, 2024|first=Marty|last=Townsend|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref> After gaining popularity on TikTok, in 2021, he wrote his memoir ''The Luckiest Man in the World: Stories from the Life of Papa Jake''.<ref name="a" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/101-year-old-world-war-ii-vet-becomes-viral-tik-tok-sensation-for-role-in-d-day-invasion/|title=101-year-old World War II vet becomes viral TikTok sensation for role in D-Day invasion|first=John|last=Lauritsen|work=CBS News|date=June 7, 2024|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref>
In June 2025, Larson won a News and Documentary News Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Live Interview. His win was shared with Christiane Amanpour.<ref name="b" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2025/06/news-documentary-emmys-2025-winners-list-1236441515/|title=News & Documentary Emmy Winners List For Both Nights|first1=Glenn|last1=Garner|first2=Erik|last2=Pedersen|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 26, 2025|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.diablogazette.com/2025/07/veteran-papa-jake-larson-wins-an-emmy/|title=Veteran "Papa" Jake Larson Wins an Emmy!|work=The Diablo Gazette|date=July 2, 2025|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref>
== Personal life and death == In 1945, Larson married Lola Cassem.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/182504020/|title=Marriage License Applications|work=Star Tribune|location=Minneapolis, Minnesota|date=October 8, 1945|access-date=July 20, 2025|page=6|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Closed access}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/The-i-paper/20250728/282071987952063|title=Life in Brief|work=The i Paper|date=July 28, 2025|access-date=August 24, 2025|via=PressReader}}</ref> Their marriage lasted until her death in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.walls102.com/2021/04/20/wwii-veteran-brought-to-tears-seeing-a-photo-of-his-late-wife-animated-with-technology/|title=WWII veteran brought to tears seeing a photo of his late wife animated with technology|work=Walls102|date=April 20, 2021|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref>
[[File:WWII Veterans Flight- D-Day 79 (7831938).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Larson (left) with Jeffery Broadwater, 2023]]
On December 20, 2022, Larson turned 100.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rousselle |first1=Christine |title=TikTok star and WWII veteran 'Papa Jake' turns 100, wants future generations to know his stories |url=https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/tiktok-star-wwii-veteran-papa-jake-100-generations-know-stories |work=Fox News |access-date=July 21, 2025 |date=December 20, 2022}}</ref> He died at his home in Lafayette, California, on July 17, 2025, at the age of 102.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/19/us/jake-larson-world-war-ii-veteran-dead|title=Jake Larson, World War II veteran turned TikTok star, dead at 102|first=Betsy|last=Klein|work=CNN|date=July 19, 2025|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/07/20/papa-jake-larson-dday-vet-tiktok-star-dead-age-102/|title='Papa Jake' Larson, D-Day vet turned TikTok star, dead at age 102|work=New York Daily News|first=Theresa|last=Braine|date=July 20, 2025|access-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref> At the time of his death, he was the last surviving member of the army's 135th Infantry Regiment.<ref name="a" />
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Sister project auto}} *{{IMDb name|2348677}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Larson, Jake}} Category:1922 births Category:2025 deaths Category:People from Steele County, Minnesota Category:American TikTokers Category:United States Army personnel of World War II Category:News & Documentary Emmy Award winners Category:American men centenarians Category:Memoirists from Minnesota Category:American recipients of the Legion of Honour Category:Minnesota National Guard personnel