A “sudden medical issue” has claimed the life of a popular online sports personality who originated from Lake Villa.
Cody “Beef” Franke, 31, a former golf pro and beloved member of Barstool Sports, died at a wedding in the Dominican Republic over the weekend, colleagues announced.
Franke, a former golf pro in Wisconsin, is also a former resident of Lake Villa.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said in his feed on X, “Barstool lost a member of our family this weekend. Just tragic news.”
“You will never find a nicer more genuine person than Beef,” Portnoy continued. “Just another cruel reminder that tomorrow is never promised and to live each day to its fullest.”
Franke’s cause of death and funeral arrangements have not been released at this time.
Dan “Big Cat” Katz broke the news of Franke’s death, claiming the golfer was in the Dominican Republic for a wedding at the time of his death.
Franke earned a following on social media by providing golfing tips to the “common golfer,” colleagues said.
Before joining Barstool Sports, Franke was a golf professional in California and at Thornberry Creek at Oneida, Wisconsin.
According to internet reports, Franke received an email “out of the blue” last year from Portnoy to join Barstool’s “ForePlay” golf coverage. He was eventually named Head Golf Professional for the podcast.
Most recently, Franke was seen taking part in Barstool Sports’ “Influencer Invitational” featuring 48 of the most influential golf personalities appearing on the Internet. The star-studded field included influencers Rick Sheils, Robby Berger from “Bob Does Sports,” and Paige Spirinac.
The beginning of the day 1 coverage of the Influencer Invitational on YouTube was a tribute to Franke, his time at “Foreplay” and Barstool.
The Chicago Tribune said Franke completed the PGA Golf Management program at Ferris State University in Michigan before landing his first job as a golf pro at Desert Willow in California. There, he started making viral training and tips videos that caught the eyes of Portnoy and others, the Tribune reported.