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Kristin Ess' Brother Dies of COVID Complications Days After Son Was Born: 'My Heart Feels Empty'

Kristen Ess
Kristen Ess

Kristen Ess/instagram. inset: getty

Kristin Ess is mourning the loss of her younger brother Nick, who succumbed to complications stemming from COVID-19 on Friday. He was 32.

The celebrity hairstylist, 41, shared news of the death in a heartbreaking Instagram post, which featured an image of Ess holding her brother's hand in the hospital, as well as photos of Nick throughout the years.

"My little brother is gone and my heart feels empty. How do you gather the words you never want to say?" she began in the caption. "How does the clock keep ticking? How does the world keep turning? And why does this happen to someone who is so selfless? I have so many questions.⁣"

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"I hate this virus so much. I hate how it's robbing people of their lives with no pattern and no end in sight. Covid takes no prisoners," Ess continued. "This kind, beautiful, hardworking, generous, compassionate man was stolen from me, stolen from his wife, his newborn, his family and his friends. We still had so many memories to make with him."

RELATED: Hairstylist Kristin Ess Says Brother with COVID Was Put on Ventilator the Day His Son Was Born

"Nick is a legend who lived lifetimes in his 32 years and I'll never stop wondering what he could have done in the next 32," Ess wrote.

The haircare founder went on to explain that Nick had been scheduled to be transferred to another hospital, but "died before he was stable enough to make the trip."

"⁣⁣In the end, the sweetest boy in the world turned out to be the most magnificent man," she added. "I will look for him everywhere I go. 🤍."

Nick was placed on a ventilator last week, on the same morning he became a father to a baby boy born at the medical center where he was hospitalized, according to a previous Instagram Story post from Ess.

RELATED VIDEO: Unvaccinated TikToker Who Died of COVID Spent Last Days Urging Followers to Get the Vaccine

On Sunday, Ess posted "an update" on her brother, saying at the time that Nick was "still in critical condition and still on a ventilator."

"Many things are looking better, but the single most important thing is his oxygen, and that's not improving right now," she shared at the time. "I've been told by my friends who work in various ICUs 'it's a dance' — one day it's a little better, next day it's not so good. We need his lungs to get stronger so he can keep his oxygen levels where they need to be."

RELATED: U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll is Now Higher Than That of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

In her update, Ess also said the family "need a miracle" as there are "two people who desperately need him… his wife and his first baby who happened to be born the morning Nick was intubated."

While sharing Nick's story, Ess also urged people to "please get vaccinated if you're able."

"You guys… don't let this happen to you … I'm fully aware that some people are just never going to get vaccinated," she said. "But for those of you on the fence, please hear me loud and clear… YOU NEVER WANT THIS!!"

She added, "Delta will take you. it does not discriminate and does not care whether you live in a young, healthy body or not."

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.