Jeri Wirtz, the beloved influencer known as one half of the viral couple “Jeri and Mike,” has passed away at her home on December 6 at the age of 74.
The news was shared on the couple’s joint Instagram account on December 8, revealing that Wirtz spent her final moments surrounded by “lifelong friends and family as she watched her children and grandchildren decorate the Christmas tree with her favorite music playing.”
Wirtz and her husband Mike captured hearts worldwide with their nearly 50-year interracial love story, which they shared with their combined social media following of over 900,000 on Instagram and TikTok. In recent years, Jeri also documented her battle with stage 4 breast cancer, diagnosed nine years ago, inspiring fans with her courage and transparency.
The couple first met on a summer day in 1976 by the pool at their apartment complex. After exchanging numbers, they married the following year in a small garden ceremony—just a decade after the landmark Loving v. Virginia decision legalized interracial marriage across the United States. Though the couple faced societal scrutiny, they remained steadfast in their love.
“Naturally, you’re going to think, ‘What will people think?’ But I wasn’t going to let that stop me from dating someone I cared about,” Mike said in a 2024 interview with PEOPLE. Jeri added, “We knew prejudice was out there, but we were determined not to let it interrupt our lives. We focused on us—starting a family, raising our kids.”
Their online fame emerged recently, when their son Ryan shared a video of their anniversary that quickly went viral. They began regularly posting clips of family life, including moments with their grandchildren, winning over viewers with their warmth and authenticity.
According to the Instagram post announcing her death, Jeri experienced a “significant decline in her health” in the past month and began in-home hospice care the previous week.
“Without Jeri, the world doesn’t shine as bright,” the post read. “We will continue to honor her life and the beautiful legacy she leaves behind—as a wife, mother, sister, friend, artist, and the extraordinary person she was. Our world will never be the same without her.”
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