Described as “one of the most prominent voices on the right” by the Washington Post, Charlie Kirk was most significantly known to the world as a close ally of President Donald Trump. He died on Wednesday, September 10, after being shot in the neck at an event at Utah Valley University. He was 31 years old.

The conservative activist was speaking to a gathering of thousands of people when chaos unfolded on the grounds of the US university. Authorities are currently investigating a CCTV footage suggesting that the suspect opened fire from a college building.

Who was Charlie Kirk?

The American political activist and author was the CEO and co-founder of the conservative group Turning Point USA, which he laid the foundation for at the age of 18 (2012). He was often seen taking centre stage at college campuses, further stealing the spotlight in conservative circles.

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Numerous videos of him debating liberal students have repeatedly gone viral on social media. The Chairman of Students for Trump often shared such interactions on his YouTube channel (@RealCharlieKirk), where he currently has nearly 4 million followers.

Though his Turning Point Action, Kirk led a get-out-the vote operation for Trump last year. Even the Wednesday event where he was fatally shot was a part of his youth organisation’s “American Comeback Tour.”

Being a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, Kirk toured the US speaking at countless Republican events. One such showcase ahead included his “You’re Being Brainwashed” tour, which significantly influenced the outcome of the 2024 presidential election in Trump’s favour. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also stopped to guest star at one of those outings.

During this period multiple videos of Kirk “repudiating” liberal minds, as Forbes called it, went viral online, amassing more than 2 billion views at the time, as per Turning Point USA’s political advocacy arm, Turning Point Action.

Back in 2024, he even came up to the stage at the Republican National Convention. Given his connection to the party, he’s been the subject of Trump’s praise on many occasions.

The media personality, with millions of followers on social media, hosted his daily hours-long radio talk show called The Charlie Kirk Show until the day of his passing. It was featured on Salem Media’s ‘The Answer’ radio channel. The podcast is also readily available for streaming on Apple Podcasts.

He also authored multiple books, including the New York Times bestseller “The MAGA Doctrine: The Only Ideas That Will Win the Future,” “Right Wing Revolution: How to Beat the Woke and Save the West,” “The College Scam: How America’s Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America’s Youth,” and “Time for a Turning Point.”

His book “Campus Battlefield: How Conservatives Can WIN the Battle on Campus and Why It Matters” features a foreword by the Republican president’s son Donald Trump Jr.

Charlie Kirk’s controversial gun death comment

Democratic candidate for US Congress, William Kory Amyx, swiftly took to his X account after Kirk’s death. Although he criticised “political violence,” he also bluntly called out the right-winger. “For years, he has profited off division, peddled conspiracy theories, and targeted marginalized groups with rhetoric so toxic it has made this country less safe,” he wrote online.

“He has called for public executions, mocked trans people as “abominations,” treated politics like a holy war — and in 2023, he even said that gun deaths were an “unfortunate” but acceptable price to keep the Second Amendment.” While some right-aligned officials have already labelled him a “martyr,” Amyx held Kirk accountable for his once-troubling dissent targeting liberals, saying, “he became part of the very toll he once dismissed.”

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About Charlie Kirk’s family

Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Frantzve, a former Miss Arizona USA (2012), and two children. The evangelical Christian religion-following couple got hitches in 2021. Following Trump’s election win, Charlie and his family moved to a rented condo near Mar-a-Lago, facilitating his participation and significant involvement in the new administration.

The late conservative activist was born on October 14, 1993, in Arlington Heights, Chicago, to an architect father, Robert, and his mother Kimberly. Kirk followed in their footsteps as those two were also severely active in conservative circles, with his father even emerging as a donor to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.

Although Kirk’s name will forever be etched in history as a massive Trump supporter, his alliance initially lied elsewhere. During the 2016 Republican primary, he originally backed candidates Gov Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. However, Trump eventually won him over, with Don Jr bringing him in as his social media coordinator.