PewDiePie apologises after posting tweet mocking Demi Lovato for overdose

The YouTube star claimed not to 'mean anything' with the post

YouTuber PewDiePie has apologised after sharing a joke that appeared to mock Demi Lovato's recent health problems.

The star, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, tweeted an image that joked about reports that Lovato had suffered a heroin overdose.

PewDiePie has since apologised.

"Deleted meme," he wrote on Twitter. "I didnt mean anything with it and I didnt fully know about the situation. I realize now it was insensitive, sorry!"

Lovato was initially reported to have been rushed to hospital following a heroin overdose. It has since been reported that her hospitalisation may have been the result of another drug.

Many of Kjellberg's followers replied to his apology post to say that they saw nothing wrong in the original tweet.

"Felix, you need to stand your ground more," read one post that has been liked more than 1,200 times. "It was a joke, and we all know people on Twitter are overly sensitive."

It is far from the first time that Kjellberg has been involved in a controversy over posts that have been attacked as insensitive or offensive. Last year, for instance, he was dropped by both Disney and YouTube's advertising service after he posted a video in which he paid two men to hold up a sign reading "death to all Jews".

Kjellberg still remains the site's most popular user by far, with more than 60 million subscribers. His Twitter account has more than 15 million followers.