Reckful: Twitch streamer Byron Bernstein reportedly dies aged 31
TRIBUTES have been pouring in for Twitch streamer Byron 'Reckful' Bernstein who reportedly has died aged 31.
Byron ‘Reckful’ Bernstein shows off his gaming setup in 2019
Twitch streamer Byron 'Reckful' Bernstein has reportedly died at the age of just 31. Reckful is a former eSports player - known for his achievements with World of Warcraft - that had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitch. At the time of writing Reckful's channel on Twitch is playing an old stream that is being watched by tens of thousands of people, with the comments section of the video inundated with tributes to the streamer.
News of Reckful's death was reported on Twitter yesterday (Thursday July 2) by eSports journalist Rod Breslau.
Breslau tweeted: "Reckful's passing has been confirmed by his roommate. Byron was 31."
Breslau's tweet came after Reckful's ex-girlfriend also took to the social networking site to reveal the Twitch streamer had passed away.
Reckful's ex-girlfriend posted on Twitter: "Yes, it’s him. He’s gone."
Reckful's passing has been confirmed by his roommate. Byron was 31. pic.twitter.com/wfB5A2uhJm
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) July 2, 2020
In the aftermath of the news emerging tributes have been pouring in for Reckful from many corners of the gaming community.
Fellow Twitch streamer Lirik posted: "RIP Reckful. Absolutely floored. Man is and will always be an absolute legend."
While @Nightbloo tweeted: "This is heartbreaking news. I didn't know him very well personally but back in the day watching Reckful was my big inspiration to start streaming myself.
"He was a very kind soul who deserved so much better.
"Rest in peace, you will be missed very much".
Popular FIFA streamer Castro posted: "RIP Reckful. <3".
While Twitch personality Asmongold added: "RIP Reckful.
"I hope this will be a wakeup call to everyone who creates a reward structure around ridiculing and mocking mental illness
"We can be better as a community and we will be better."
And content creator Jack 'CouRage' Dunlop posted: "Rest In Peace, Reckful.
"What a terrible tragedy. You can tell he meant so much to so many people."
Reckful was someone I looked up to growing up. I remember watching his interviews when he was on CoL, thinking he was so cool. I rewinded his Reckful 3 video over and over to learn from the best rogue in the world. He was a huge reason why I even considered a career as a pro. RIP
— Yiliang Peng (@TSMDoublelift) July 2, 2020
RIP Reckful
— Zack (@Asmongold) July 2, 2020
I hope this will be a wakeup call to everyone who creates a reward structure around ridiculing and mocking mental illness
We can be better as a community and we will be better.
RIP Reckful.
— Castro1021 (@Castro1021) July 2, 2020
<3
Fans of Reckful became worried about his wellbeing following a series of messages he posted on Twitter.
The 31-year-old, who was known for his eSports achievements in World of Warcraft as well as for his Twitch channel, reportedly took his own life.
Reckful's Twitch channel had almost one million followers. During his eSports career Bernstein was of the top WoW players in the world.
One of Reckful's biggest eSports achievements was being placed rank one in six consecutive seasons of World of Warcraft.
• For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.