Influencer Joe Felz, known for his house-flipping and DIY renovation content, has died at the age of 40. His girlfriend, Alxzondra, announced his death on Monday via Instagram, requesting privacy for his family and loved ones.
Felz, who had amassed over 772,000 followers on Instagram, documented his work in real estate and home renovations. He had relocated from Georgia to Costa Rica earlier this year. "Joe Felz has left this earth and has finally found his [freedom]," Alxzondra wrote in a tribute post. She added, "I don’t have many words right now, but I ask that you please give myself, Joe’s family and all of his loved ones the space and time needed to process a loss of this magnitude."
Hours after the initial announcement, Alxzondra issued a statement directly addressing what she described as "false narratives, assumptions and speculation" about Felz's death. She thanked those who shared kind words and memories but stated that rumors were not helpful and would have "ashamed and disgusted" Felz. "There is a real family trying to process an unimaginable loss, and social media rumors that flow into local real life should be the last thing we have to deal with right now," she said.
Alxzondra promised that the truth would be revealed when the time was appropriate, but stressed that "now is not that time." She urged those commenting to "honor the man instead of feeding the rumor mill" and to "respect the family he loved and the people he leaves behind." She added, "If you weren’t shoulder to shoulder with him - you likely don’t know the whole story -and it’s not your place to fill in the blanks."
Felz's cause of death has not been publicly released. In the comments section of his girlfriend's initial post, some users expressed theories and concerns about the circumstances of his passing.
Felz founded his real estate firm, Felz Investment Group, in 2011. He was also known for an off-grid lifestyle, having previously lived in a van while traveling the country before his move to Costa Rica. He frequently shared advice on sustainable living and offered solar energy consulting through his company. Recently, he had begun collecting and sharing content from 1800s Bibles online, stating he had "information the modern world needs to see."
In June, Felz was hospitalized after developing an unexplained "big red area" on his arm, which his girlfriend later revealed was an infected sebaceous cyst requiring treatment. He recovered, and she updated followers that he was "all healthy, well and on the mend."
Before his social media career, Felz spent time in prison and described himself on his website as an "eight-time convicted felon," though the specifics of these offenses were not detailed in the reports.