Brian Barczyk

Brian Henry Barczyk (September 6, 1969 – January 14, 2024)^[2] was an American reptile enthusiast, YouTuber, and founder of the Reptarium Reptile Zoo and Legasea Aquarium.^[3][4][5] He was also featured as a star on the TV series Venom Hunters by the Discovery Channel.^[6][7] Barczyk had the third-largest collection of snakes in the world, with over 30,000 snakes, and assisted with venom milking.^[8]

Brian Barczyk
Barczyk in 2019
Personal information
Born	(1969-09-06)September 6, 1969 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	January 14, 2024(2024-01-14) (aged 54) Warren, Michigan, U.S.
YouTube information
Channel	Brian Barczyk
Years active	2011–2024
Subscribers	5.61 million[1]
Creator Awards 100,000 subscribers 1,000,000 subscribers

Early life and career

Brian Henry Barczyk was born on September 6, 1969.^[2] He grew fascinated with animals from a trip to the zoo at the age of two. Thereafter, Barczyk continued practicing his love for animals, specifically reptiles. He appeared on YouTube beginning in 2011, and starred on channels such as SnakeBytesTV. He collaborated with other YouTubers such as Jake Paul, Logan Paul, Marshmello, Liza Koshy, MrBeast, Coyote Peterson, and David Dobrik.^[9]

Personal life

In 1992, Barczyk married Lori Ann Herman; they had two children, Noah and Jade. All have an active interest in reptiles.^[10]

Illness and death

In 2023, Barczyk was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer, which he revealed on his vlog.^[3] On January 5, 2024, he publicly stated that he would be entering hospice care.^[11] He died nine days later at his home in Michigan, at the age of 54.^[2][12]