Rising social media star from Kansas City remembered as ‘one of a kind’

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A young woman who left Kansas City to pursue her acting, writing and directing dreams in Los Angeles was honored Friday night before a crowd as big as her personality.

Alysha Burney was on vacation with her brother in Cabo San Lucas earlier this month when she died one day before her 25th birthday. Her brother, Charles Burney, said she died in her sleep at the resort following an asthma attack.

“Alysha was truly one of a kind,” said Charles. “She was very authentic. Never afraid to be herself.”

Charles and their mother, Anitra Scott, are featured in some of her videos.

“(Alysha was) full of life, laughter, goal driven. I mean, she never stopped,” Scott said. “Anything she put in front of her, she kept going.”

A RISING STAR

Alysha developed an online following for her comedic videos in which she played multiple characters.

Between her YouTube, TikTok and Instagram accounts, Alysha had nearly 5 million followers or subscribers. One of her videos reached more than 16 million views. Her death was covered by Inside Edition, Entertainment Tonight and People magazine.

Alysha moved to Los Angeles immediately after graduating from the University of Central Missouri in 2023. She began screenwriting and creating short films, which she posted to her YouTube channel. Her mom said screenwriting was her love — even more than being on the screen.

Charles was planning to move to LA to have more time with her.

“She was very expressive, emotional and sensitive at times,” Charles said. “She was the best little sister that anyone could ask for. My favorite person on this entire earth.”

PAYING TRIBUTE

Friday night, a group gathered at the rose garden in Loose Park to pay tribute to Alysha. The roses weren’t in bloom yet, but pink balloons floated by as more and more people joined. In the end, more than 100 people circled the rose garden’s fountain. Some were family or family friends. Others were Liberty North High School classmates who followed her growing success.

After releasing the balloons, people lined up to give Alysha’s mother hugs. She wiped tears from her eyes.

“It does my heart a joy,” Scott said. “I’m happy to see that she impacted so many lives.”

She’s been reading comments on Alysha’s videos. Charles has been getting messages from followers. Both described messages from people who said Alysha’s videos would cheer them after a rough day.

“She taught me a lot about what it meant to be forgiving and just about how to just be confident in who I am and not be afraid to just do whatever I wanted to do,”  Charles said. “She inspired me just by being herself. Even though I’m her big brother, she still inspired me in so many different ways.”

He said she shot a video before her birthday that she planned to post after their trip. He’s working on editing it and posting it for her fans.

Alysha’s family has created a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral and memorial costs. It has reached half of its $20,000 goal.

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