Byron Bernstein, Popular Gamer Known as "Reckful," Dead at 31

July 03, 2020

The gaming community is mourning the loss of a wildly popular and successful player.

Byron Bernstein, a Twitch user known as Reckful -- who had nearly a million followers on the streaming platform -- has died, seemingly by suicide.

He was 31 years old.

"We're devastated to hear of Byron's passing.

"Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and community. He was a streaming pioneer and helped propel the whole industry forward," a Twitch statement reads.

"Byron was someone who talked about his struggles to help make from for others to do the same.

"As we process this loss, we have to recognize that the stigma around mental health and treatment often prevents people from seeking and getting the help they need."

Just hours prior to his death, Bernstein shared a series of photographs to Twitter -- and also asked his ex-girlfriend, Becca, to marry him.

"I know I'll always be a little too crazy... and this is proof... but at least you'll never be bored. Will you marry me, Becca?" he wrote online, along with photos of his girlfriend.

"DO NOT make her feel pressured to say yes, i am completely insane here. I have not seen her in 6 months.

'The reason for the post is I know she's the one I want forever, and I wanted her to know my commitment is real."

reckful tweet

Reckful was one of the highest-ranking “World of Warcraft” players on the planet, boastong more than 936,000 followers on Twitch. 

He would share cooking and gaming broadcasts on this platform and was working on a new game called “Everland” prior to his passing.

Becca eventually responded to the above proposal in a lengthy Twitter post.

Titled "RIP July 2, 2020," the message indicated that Becca didn't see the proposal "until it was too late."

reckful

"That doesn't change the fact that I wasn't able to be there for him. He was amazing," she wrote.

'He taught me how to have fun, to experience more, and challenged me to try to be more than what I was. He was larger than life, too big for this world.

"He brought me to realize that I knew NOTHING about depression, NOTHING about mental health issues.

"I had this vague idea of what it was and embarrassingly thought that I could help with trivial bulls--t."

reckful online

She concluded:

"We need better support for those with mental needs. I remember Byron telling me how traumatized he was when he had the authorities called on him for being at risk of suicide.

"Anyone that knew him knew how much it scared and affected him.

"THIS CANT BE HOW PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THE PLACES THAT SHOULD BE KEEPING THEM SAFE."

Fans grew concerned over Byron early Thursday morning when he posted a number of troubling tweets.

“Ahh, I feel bad for anyone who has to deal with my insanity,” he wrote, adding:

“Please just know in these situations the insane person does not feel in control of their actions.”

To be clear, however, we cannot confirm at this time that he took his own life.

reck tweets

In January, Bernstein -- whose brother committed suicide -- used YouTube to open up about the improvements he has made with his mental health.

The video was titled, "Reckful is no longer depressed for the first time in 16 years."

“I am actually day-to-day happy,” Bernstein said back then. “I’ve never felt this way in my life. I’m not saying it’s gonna last forever, but right now I’m happy.”

blue mourns

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

Or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

May Byron Bernstein rest in peace.

  • Share:

You Might Also Like

0 comments