Before going viral was even a thing, South Africa’s own Chuck Norris, Vernon Koekemoer, set the internet ablaze.

Cassie Booyse, who rose to instant fame as the internet sensation Vernon Koekemoer, passed away at his Benoni home at the age of 67 on Wednesday, 14 August.

Similar to iconic “alpha males” (think US actor Chuck Norris and Kenya’s Makmende), Vernon inspired many a meme, parody films, T-shirts and websites after a photo of the man with the muscles and mullet at an H2O rave party in Boksburg went viral in 2008.

Vernon Koekemoer with some female fans. The annual H2O dance party where Koekemoer was first sighted in 2008, was held at the Wild Waters in Boksburg with roughly 7000 people attending the event.

Following the sighting at the H2O event, the then 51-year-old Vernon Koekemoer achieved instant cult-like status – without his knowledge.

In April 2008, The Starpublished an article revealing the identity …

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