Culture

Pyari Maryam -- an influencer with more than 150K followers on Instagram -- has died after giving birth ... according to a post from her husband.

Ahsan Al broke the sad news Thursday, posing a statement that, translated to English,  reportedly reads ... "Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. Dear Maryam has passed away. Everyone is requested to pray that may Allah, the Lord of Honor, forgive her and elevate her ranks."

While he didn't reveal Pyari's cause of death, it appears linked to child birth, because he also revealed she successfully gave birth to twin boys shortly before she passed -- “Alhamudlillah, both little babies are completely safe. Please avoid spreading false rumors, and pray for our dear Maryam.”

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson got literally showered with cash -- but the real flex that made him richer than ever? Dancing the sacred Samoan Taualuga with his mom!

The actor dropped a Sunday IG clip showing full family vibes -- straight-up dancing with his daughters and relatives -- kicking things off shirtless to honor the Samoan tradition of proudly showing off Polynesian tattoos.

Dwayne explained every move in the caption, saying that slapping the ground was his way of showing respect for how sacred the moment -- and the ground -- becomes with elders present.

The rise of streaming platforms over the course of the decade has created plenty of unlikely stars -- including Ibai Llanos, a streamer who's achieved celebrity status through his online work.

The internet personality's gone from a teenager recording his gaming sessions with his fans to hosting high-profile events -- with millions of fans tuning in to watch all the fun.

Here's a look at how the streamer went from humble beginnings to schmoozing with some of the biggest names in sports and social media today.

Llanos was born and raised in Bilbao, the largest city in Spain's Basque Country, way up in the country's northeast.

The streamer became interested in video games at an early age, and he began streaming on Twitch at just 15 years old, where he would play "Call of Duty" with his friends, according to the New York Times.

Although his public profile wasn't initially very high, he landed a job as an announcer for a Spanish esports league, and he moved to Barcelona, where he started getting involved in various events and collaborations centered on gaming.

He eventually left the position and began streaming on his own Twitch channel, where he built up an immense following after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and became one of the most popular users on the platform ... where he currently has 19.8 million followers.

Llanos also co-founded esports organization KOI alongside former professional soccer player Gerard Piqué in 2021, and its teams competed in various games, including "League of Legends" and "Valorant."

With a following of nearly 20 million, ya gotta imagine there's plenty of fans out there who'd like to see the man himself in action ... and Llanos eventually began hosting live events to connect more closely with his fans.

The streamer created a crossover boxing series titled "La Velada del Año," translated in English to "The Night of the Year," where internet celebrities and streamers are pitted against each other.

Although the first one was a relatively quiet affair, as it took place during the pandemic without attendees, Llanos' subsequent events drew millions of viewers.

The fifth and most recent edition, which also featured several musical performances, drew in more than 14 million concurrent viewers at its peak.

Llanos became the most-followed individual on Twitch following the event, surpassing figures like Ninja and Kai Cenat.

Remember how we talked about Llanos partnering up with Piqué a little earlier on? Turns out, the streamer's actually become pretty tight with several other athletes over the course of his career.

The internet figure's become known for hanging out with various athletes on Twitch, where he typically chills out with his guests while they chat and play video games, with no hard-hitting questions involved.

Although Llanos has occasionally been criticized for his nontraditional interview style, he described himself to the New York Times as an "entertainer" as opposed to a journalist, and claimed his easygoing rapport with athletes made others "want to come" and join his streams.

The streamer's actually been present for a few big moments in sports, and he managed to speak with Lionel Messi just after the soccer legend left FC Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain -- before anyone else was able to get to the athlete.