Byron Bernstein, a beloved member of the online gaming community, died at age 31.
The Austin, Texas-based gamer was known as Reckful on the Twitch streaming platform, where he was one of the highest-ranking “World of Warcraft” players and had more than 936,000 followers. More recently, he was creating a new game called “Everland”. His ex-girlfriend, known as Blue, confirmed his death, allegedly by suicide, on Thursday.
Bernstein’s representatives did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
His Twitter feed early Thursday included troubling messages to which his fans responded with concern.
In January, he shared on video that he lost his brother to suicide when he was 6 years old and had long struggled with his mental health. However, she said she was improving and that working on her new game had given her “a sense of purpose.”
“I’m actually happy day by day,” he said in the video. “I have never felt like this in my life. I’m not saying it will last forever, but now I’m happy. “
Fans shared their memories of Internet personality on Thursday afternoon, including artist and fellow Twitch user Andy Milonakis, who sometimes appeared in their videos. Many he remembered moments when he was open about their struggles and encouraged others in pain to seek help.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing a mental health crisis, call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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