Well Known Flat Earther Has Died

[Z.W. Wolf]

https://www.mcgrathandson.com/obituary/connell-christopher/

Christopher Connell, of Bronxville, N.Y., passed away unexpectedly on November 3, 2026. He was 55.

Chris was a man of boundless energy, adventurous spirit, gentle kindness and an extraordinary appreciation for life's simple pleasures. Whether tending his beloved gardens, mastering a challenging ski slope, riding the ocean's waves or preparing a memorable meal for family and friends, Chris approached life with enthusiasm, generosity and an unmistakable zest for living.

Born in Athens, Greece, Chris grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. He graduated from Thornton-Donovan School and Mercy University. He worked in medical transport, where his compassionate and supportive nature earned him the affection and appreciation of patients and medical professionals alike.

An accomplished athlete and lover of the outdoors, Chris was an expert skier who conquered some of Windham Mountain's most challenging double-black-diamond trails, including Upper Wipeout, Upper Wolverine and Upper Wheelchair. He was also an exceptional swimmer, fearless bodysurfer, avid tennis player and enthusiastic fisherman — a true "Bassmaster" in the eyes of those who knew him. He particularly loved the waves of Hawaii and Montauk, as well as quiet evenings spent gazing at the stars and planets, and photographing the skies.

Chris had a deep appreciation for nature and all its creatures. An avid and gifted gardener, he lovingly tended the Japanese cherry trees, pines, fragrant herbs and spectacular roses at the Bronxville home he shared with Caryn and Marion. His tomatoes and basil were renowned among neighbors, and he delighted in the hummingbirds that frequented the feeder he faithfully maintained. His compassion extended to even the smallest creatures. On one occasion, Chris rescued a red-eared slider turtle that had been badly injured by a hawk, patiently nursing it back to health at home before releasing it into the wild in the Catskills.

Chris was also a fabulous cook whose culinary talents brought family and friends together. His chicken Francese, shrimp scampi and Chilean sea bass were favorites, while his smashburgers held a special place in Marion's heart. His legendary clams casino were a much-anticipated treat at neighborhood gatherings, where Chris could often be found happily working away in the kitchen, preparing delicious food while friendships were forged and memories made.

He especially treasured time spent with Caryn and Marion, whether enjoying the beaches of Long Island, traveling to the mountains, swimming at Lake Isle Country Club or simply sharing a quiet evening on their terrace at home.

The family's home in Windham was another special place in Chris's life. There, he enjoyed visiting his parents, Carol and Raymond, swimming with Caryn and Marion, taking early evening walks — undeterred by the occasional neighborhood bear — and keeping the wood-burning stove and outdoor chimenea faithfully tended. Above all, Chris was devoted to his family. His daughter, Marion, was the light of his life, and the love and pride he felt for her were immeasurable.

With his magnificent full head of hair, infectious smile, warm manner and generous heart, Chris made a lasting impression on everyone fortunate enough to know him. Humble and unassuming, he was always quick to lend a hand to a neighbor or offer kindness to someone in need. As one dear friend remembered, Chris was a force of life who brought endless joy to those around him, a man pure of heart whose quiet generosity helped bring people together and sustain lasting friendships.

Chris is survived by his loving father, Raymond Connell; his beloved partner of 25 years, Caryn McBride, and their cherished daughter, Marion; his extended family, Carole McBride; John and Laurie (Desposito) McBride, John Jr., Michael, Matthew and Dylan McBride; and his cousins, Agathea Pappas, Anastasia Lorenzo, Christina Pappas, Eugenia Pappas and Alexander Pappas, and his aunt, Carolyn Pappas. He was predeceased by his mother, Carol Connell.

Chris will be deeply missed and forever remembered for his kindness, his adventurous spirit, his joyful embrace of life and, most of all, his boundless love for his family.

Visitation will be held Sunday, November 8, from 2 to 5 p.m. at McGrath's Funeral Home in Bronxville.

A funeral service will be held at 11:30am on Monday, November 9, at Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Yonkers, followed by burial at Mount Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

His final YT video


CC speculates that Devils Tower is a giant tree stump and that God cut down ancient trees to lower the breathable atmosphere, making the dome he believes covers a flat Earth harder to reach. He also denies that satellites exist and claims rockets need air to produce thrust.


He was noticeably getting thinner in recent videos.

 

[NorCal Dave]

CC speculates that Devils Tower is a giant tree stump and that God cut down ancient trees to lower the breathable atmosphere, making the dome he believes covers a flat Earth harder to reach. He also denies that satellites exist and claims rockets need air to produce thrust.

I never saw his videos, but instead was introduced to him by SciMan Dan, who frequently responded to CC. Interestingly, what makes him sorta well know is his videos and there's no mention of them in the obituary.

 

[JMartJr]

I always felt sad for him, in the part of his life that revolved around pushing conspiracy theory nonsense, and several times commented on videos that I felt were mocking him that I did not think his delusions were proper fodder for mocking for entertainment. But refuting his goofier ideas was fair, I think.

I am happy that it seems he also had some things he enjoyed in life not connected to his conspiracy theorizing.

My condolences to his friends and family.

 

[MonkeeSage]

He was noticeably getting thinner in recent videos.

Wow, he looks way thinner in that video. I hope he passed without pain if it was an illness.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

I suspect that Rich Hopkins is also dead. YT took down his Mr. Thrive And Survive channel soemtime in 2022 I think, although his Thrive And Survive REBOOTED channel still remains... long inactive.


Hopkins started a new Flat Earth centric channel, Flat Earth Explored. The latest video was uploaded in August of 2022:


Background: Hopkins had long been talking about his serious health problems, including some form of heart disease... I don't remeber exactly what, and had described previous hospital visits.

Hey, guys. How you doing? This is the only way I know to do this... because this can backdoor into my, uh, Flat Earth Explorer channel.

Uh, there was no stream yesterday, and the reason was I was actually hospitalized. Uh, I'm okay. I'm out now. But, uh, Friday there won't be a stream. I won't be here Friday, and, uh, gotta go back to—not at the hospital necessarily, but I gotta go back and get something done next Wednesday. So, looks like Monday will be a stream. So, my apologies.

Uh, when I was in the hospital, there's no way to upload. I just can't do it because, again, I had the same email address with Mr. Thrive and Survive. If you don't know, that channel was taken down. And so I—when I try to log in with this channel, it just won't let me do it to upload anything. So I can backdoor using my recording software.

And so, look for a stream on Monday. I'm doing okay. I'll fill you guys in on Monday. So, sorry about yesterday. I just—of course, I wasn't expecting—I ended up, uh, going there about 3 a.m. and, uh, spent much of the day there, and it was kind of a nightmare.

But anyway, I will see you guys on Monday. Thanks, guys. God bless. See you Monday. Bye.

In April of 2023 Mendel reported that Hopkins had started a new channel:
https://www.metabunk.org/threads/ex...oves-flat-earth-refraction.10690/#post-289348

Hopkins had apparently reuploaded old Mr Thrive And Survive FE videos there. The link to that channel is dead.

https://www.youtube.com/@richhopkins661/videos?app=desktop

It's likely that channel was started before August of 2022.

There's an obituary for a Rich Hopkins of Phoenix, but not the same guy. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/phoenix-az/richard-hopkins-12678361

Neither I nor GPT can find a trace of Rich Hopkins on the Internet or elsewhere past August of 2022. I won't be doing a "People Search." If anyone wants to try, go ahead.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

Update: I found still another YT channel. The latest video on that channel is from 3 years ago. It seems Hopkins just abandoned FE. Is he still around? Don't know.



Summary: A kind of infomercial for supplements.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

Oh my lord...


Sep 23, 2026

Hey, everyone. Rich here. It's been a long, long time, hasn't it? It started out where it was too hot for me to do streams. That started in about June, and then I had something interesting happen to me. I had a tooth extracted over here, and it ended up swelling up. It took about a month for it to go away, even with antibiotics.

I was in and out of the hospital a couple of times because of that, believe it or not. I wasn't feeling right. I ended up with a big infection down here below my jawline. It stretched all the way over to my neck. I'll give you more details on this later, but I ended up in the hospital for ten days. I think I nearly died three times. Once before I got to the hospital, and then twice once I was there. They were talking about intubating me and emergency [trachs?], all kinds of issues. They were worried this was going to interfere with my speech.

So anyway, for about three months—is that right? July, August, September—almost three months, my body had developed sepsis. So instead of fighting infection, my body was rooting for it, and my body was fighting itself. And they ended up pouring, I don't know, dozens of antibiotics into me. IV antibiotics, ten days' worth. And here I am.

So the temperature has finally cooled off enough, and I finally feel good enough. Almost. I couldn't do a long stream quite yet. I don't quite have the energy. I developed pneumonia along with this, so that's the energy part of it.

But I do plan on returning to streaming next week. I'm going to shoot for Monday. I don't have my phone here, but I think Monday's good. We'll pick up some stuff. I want to tell you what I want to do with the channel, what subject I want to cover—mostly one subject—and we'll just go from there, guys.

So look for a stream Monday. If it's going to be a different day, I'll try to let you know. But look for a stream Monday at the normal time. I hope to see as many of you guys there as I possibly can. Thanks, guys. God bless, and see you soon, hopefully. Bye-bye.

Any cat would be envious of the number of lives his guy seems to have.


There are some more recent "streams" including one about the midterm election - he claims it was rigged... of course.

 

[Mendel]

There are some more recent "streams" including one about the midterm election -

stream on the 7th shows he's still a Flat Earther

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

stream on the 7th shows he's still a Flat Earther

Yes. Unless I find more YT channels showing oherwise, it looks as if he stopped posting FE content very suddenly and then started up again about 3 years later. I'm done doing research though.


I'm going to do more joyful and meaningful stuff... like watching episodes of Tooter Turtle.

"Always, always I tell you, Tooter. Be just what you is, not what you is not. Folks what do this has the happiest lot."

 

[MyMatesBrainwashed]

Wow, it's a real shame the CC I'm aware of doesn't reflect that obituary (apart from the hair).

I challenge anyone to watch his content and conclude "humble and unassuming".

I can believe the man described existed before falling down the rabbit holes he seemed trapped by. One can't help but wonder how much they might have contributed to his demise.

There's possibly an interesting conversation to be had there that could possibly help other people out. But I'm sure it'll all be ignored.

 

[JMartJr]

There are some more recent "streams" including one about the midterm election - he claims it was rigged... of course.

Interesting to me, if not surprising, that even with the defeated candidates conceding (except Boebert, last time i looked I looked again just now, she thinks "voters were played by the markets" but is not saying the voting was rigged) this conspiracy myth is self sustaining.