The world of entertainment has lost a star.
Mat George, who co-hosted the popular podcast She Rates Dogs, died in the early hours of Saturday, July 17. He was only 26 years old.
The late star's co-host Michaela Okland confirmed his passing in a statement shared on Twitter.
"I would rather you guys here [sic] this from me than a news article," she began her post. "Mat was killed in a hit and run last night. I don't really have any other words right now. I wish I could contact everybody who knows him personally but the news is already out and I just can't do it right now."
According to CBS Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department reported that a pedestrian was struck by a white BMW and killed in a hit-and-run while walking in an unmarked crosswalk on Saturday morning around 2:20 a.m. in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles. Authorities said he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles coroner's office identified the victim as Mathew Thomas George, which E! News has verified.
Additionally, we have reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for our own confirmation of the incident but we have yet to receive a response. Per CBS Los Angeles, law enforcement is asking for the public's help in finding the motorist who struck the podcast host.
Following the tragedy, Michaela shared a separate post thanking people for their support.
"Thank you to everybody who's reached out, I'm really sorry but I probably won't respond for awhile even if we are close," she wrote on Twitter. "And thank you so much to everybody telling stories and sharing how he impacted you. Whenever you think of him in the future, please do talk about him."
She also took to the She Rates Dogs podcast Twitter page to note, "Mat and I recorded one more episode that was meant to come out Tuesday but it will likely be put on hold."
"I know in years to come I'll feel so lucky that there's so many recordings of Mat's laugh to revisit," her message continued. "I am not ready to talk about everything, or to have to use past-tense to describe him. I think you all knew within 10 seconds of listening to him how vibrant, loving, accepting, and wonderful Mat George is. This community made him so happy. Your words and support made him so happy. Thanks for talking about him."
In another post, Michaela wrote just how touched she was by everyone's responses.
"So many of the kind messages I've gotten note the fact that you all 'didn't know mat in real life', but everybody who supported him truly meant more than you realize," she said. "He'd send me screenshots of your sweet messages, he shed tears when people told him he had helped them through issues (especially LGBT+ related). He referenced DMs from you all the time and how much it made his week & fueled his joy. You really did know him. He shared so much because he felt the people who listened to him were his friends."