Beloved Disney Influencer Joshua Obra Passes Away at 29

Several members of the Disney family, including animator Ann Sullivan, Star Wars actor Andrew Jack, and a Disney Cruise Line crew member, have all passed away from COVID-19.

Now the coronavirus pandemic has affected the Disney influencer community. Joshua Obra, 29, has died from complications of the novel coronavirus. He was a registered nurse and Disney influencer on Instagram.

Obra (@disneylandpanda) is being fondly remembered online. Many members of the Disney fandom have shared tributes celebrating the life of the caring nurse who loved people even more than he enjoyed any Disney theme park.

View this post on Instagram

thank you to everyone who has prayed for josh during his battle against covid-19. he fought hard those 26 days from when his symptoms started, but now he is with God. i can’t believe i’m writing this at all and i know one post isn’t going to summarize a lifetime of memories. it brings me comfort that he touched so many lives out there, whether it was through nursing or throughout his whole life. i also wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who was a part of his life in any way. josh is the reason for why i’m walking on this earth today. when he was around 7 years old, he went to my parents and asked who was going to be with him when they were to pass away because he didn’t want to be alone.. then i was born to be along side his journey. i know i was the person he was most close to here. we were never apart. i also know i was too hard on him sometimes, but i hope he knew it was out of love. he’s so kind and selfless, wanting to make everyone happy.. even when he knows he made me mad or if he knows i’m going through something, he would always try to comfort me. he didn’t want to do any wrong. he always included me and i never felt left behind at all, even growing up. i’m so thankful for him dealing with me all these years the way that a big brother does. i’m so blessed that he was able to teach me some parts of how to be a nurse while we were able to work together before we both got sick.. i’m happy he was able to share his love for disney, visit all of the disney parks, and travel some of the world. i’m so happy he was able to follow his passion in photography. i’m so blessed we were able to be so close through all these things, so blessed to be his little sister. i’m going to miss laughing til we both cry and can’t breathe. i’m going to miss his silly little dances. i’m going to miss forcing him to wake up early so we could make ropedrops at disneyland then him falling asleep on the way there. i’m going to miss yelling at him for always making us run late. i’m going to miss our disney adventures together. i’m going to miss our never ending food adventures. i’m just going to miss him always being there. [continue in comments]

A post shared by @ jasmineobra on Jul 10, 2020 at 1:24pm PDT

His sister Jasmine (@jasmineobra) wrote an incredibly heartfelt memorial to her older brother, saying:

thank you to everyone who has prayed for josh during his battle against covid-19. he fought hard those 26 days from when his symptoms started, but now he is with God.

i can’t believe i’m writing this at all and i know one post isn’t going to summarize a lifetime of memories. it brings me comfort that he touched so many lives out there, whether it was through nursing or throughout his whole life. i also wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who was a part of his life in any way.

View this post on Instagram

My heart is broken over Josh, aka @disneylandpanda. ?? I am so saddened that we lost you to Covid. Especially when I know how seriously you took this pandemic, but as a nurse, you put your life at risk for others. It’s unfair. I’m gonna try and keep this short and sweet, but it probably won’t happen. Also, gonna try to keep this positive ? I love this first picture of us wearing Trash Panda shirts for your birthday. I love these random pictures of Jas, John, and me with you in the background ‘cause they just make me laugh ? I particularly love basic bitch Panda in rose gold ears and a churro hahah. I miss you and your stupid ass puns and dad jokes. Or the way you say “okaaay ?”. Y’all know haha. I miss all our Disneyland trips and never making rope drop ‘cause we LAAAAG ? All the random lunches and dinners and hangouts and mini trips. Just everything. What a positive light you were and what a genuinely good heart you have. I hope you realize what an effect you have had on everyone. Will never forget you ❤️? #OurPandaForever

A post shared by Vy (@theletterveeee) on Jul 10, 2020 at 5:38pm PDT

Instagrammer Vy (@theletterveeee) was a close friend of Obra’s. She shared an especially touching post, writing:

My heart is broken over Josh, aka @disneylandpanda. ?? I am so saddened that we lost you to Covid. Especially when I know how seriously you took this pandemic, but as a nurse, you put your life at risk for others. It’s unfair. I’m gonna try and keep this short and sweet, but it probably won’t happen.

More memories of Josh Obra and condolences for his family are being shared on a Reddit thread dedicated to him.

Jasmine Obra, who worked in the same convalescent home as her brother and also battled COVID-19 alongside him, spoke to Los Angeles ABC News 7 and said, “So just be safe. Social distance. Wear a mask. Wash your hands.”

ABC’s report states that “Jasmine pledges to follow in Joshua’s footsteps in medicine, remembering what he taught her about work and play – that what often looks like magic is the result of someone’s hard work and courage.”

If you would like to make a social media post remembering Joshua Obra and his passion for Disney park photos, use the hashtag #OurPandaForever.

Did you follow Joshua Obra on Instagram? Share your condolences for the Obra family in the comments.