A brainy young inventor and YouTuber who had a large tumorous hole in his chest has died at the age of 23.

Philipp Mickenbecker was one half of ‘The Real Life Guys’, the YouTube invention channel he ran with his twin brother, Johannes, and which boasts 1.37 million subscribers.

Philipp was diagnosed with cancer for the first time at the age of 16. He went on to beat the illness twice before his third diagnosis, which would later prove fatal, in 2020.

He developed a large open wound in his chest. He said at the time: “You could say that I am rotting alive.”

His chest was almost completely open and bleeding profusely by the time he was admitted to hospital on 8th June.

Philipp’s brother, Johannes, told Bild: “I went home for a moment and got a voice message that Philipp would be happy if I went back right away.

“I was already in the car when Philipp called again and said that he loved me. I replied that I loved him too and that I’d be right there.”

When Johannes arrived at the hospital, his parents were already by Philipp’s side. He told Bild: “We talked. Philipp was very calm and had that smile on his face.

“He told us that he had found his peace and was looking forward to Jesus. He told the doctors that they shouldn’t do anything anymore. At some point he fell asleep.”

Philipp passed away on the evening of 9th June.

The brainy twin brothers from the municipality of Bickenbach in the German State of Hessen used their YouTube channel to document their various inventions, including a flying bathtub.

Johannes told Bild: “He wanted to be buried in a bathtub. That’s why our carpenter is now building a wooden bathtub as a coffin.

“Philipp didn’t want his funeral to be a sad event. That’s why people shouldn’t come in black.

“Much more important is his message that after this life, it is not over, but it continues. He had this hope till the end. Philipp wasn’t afraid of death, he fell asleep with a smile.”