Teen behind Clouds viral hit Zach Sobiech dies weeks after celebs' touching tribute video

ZACH Sobiech, the brave teen who penned the viral hit song Clouds, has lost his fight with bone cancer.

ZACH Sobiech, the brave teenager who penned the viral hit song Clouds, has lost his fight with bone cancer.

The 18-year-old passed away on Monday morning at his home in Minnesota surrounded by his family and girlfriend, according to a post by his mother on Sobiech's CaringBridge page.

"It is with heavy heart that we announce the passing of our son Zachary David Sobiech," the family said in a statement.

"Our family has been blessed not only by his amazing presence in our lives, but also by the love and support of our family and friends and by so many people in the community. In particular we'd like to thank those people who listened with their hearts and helped Zach bring his message and his music to the world."

Zach touched the hearts of millions, including countless celebrities, with the farewell song he wrote for family and friends after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer.

Sobiech said he also needed to write it for himself. "I needed to get that emotion out and they wanted something they could remember me by," he said.

The lyrics read: "And we’ll go up, up, up. But I’ll fly a little higher. We’ll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer. Up here my dear. It won’t be long now, it won’t be long now."

Clouds was uploaded to YouTube on December 5, 2012, and has since been viewed by nearly 3 million people.

This response saw celebrities come together to pay tribute to Zach with their own version of the song and a video.

Among the stars featured in the video is Ashley Tisdale, Colbie Caillat, Anna Faris, Passenger, Jason Mraz, Rachel Bilson, Chris Pratt, Jenna Elfman, Jenna Fischer, The Lumineers, Rachel Bilson, Ed Helms and Phillip Phillips.

The video was assembled by The Office star Rainn Wilson and actor Justin Baldoni, who directed a short documentary about Zach, called My Last Days, which airs on Wilson's SoulPancake YouTube channel.

The courageous teen was given just a year to live in May last year. "We're approaching that year mark," he told People magazine back in March. "It's scary to think about, but the key is to not feel bad for yourself."

Zach was able to celebrate his 18th birthday on May 3 and attend his senior prom at Stillwater Area High School in the weeks before his death.

He was named one of People magazine's Heroes Among Us earlier this year.

Zach had been using his remaining time to help other cancer sufferers, teaming up with the Children's Cancer Research Fund to raise awareness of this rare and aggressive form of cancer.

"Our goal is to give other kids with osteosarcoma a chance," he said.

Watch Zach's viral hit song Clouds below.