Pioneer Twitch streamer and Legendary World of Warcraft player “Reckful” reportedly took his own life late last week, according to sources close to him.
It’s a sad time for gamers everywhere, as several reputable sources have confirmed that Byron “Reckful” Bernstein tragically committed suicide on July 2, 2020.
An ex-partner of his known as “Blue” was first to announce his death through a series of posts on Twitter, which was later corroborated by several other people. The beloved World of Warcraft (WoW) streamer was 31 years of age.
Rest in peace, Byron. #Reckful pic.twitter.com/s6Q24UH5Ev
— Pivotal (@PivotalAnim) July 5, 2020
Breaking the news of Byron’s passing
Speculations of Reckful’s unfortunate suicide began circulating the internet after fellow streamer and ex-girlfriend Blue posted a series of tweets about a loved one taking their own life on July 2, 2020.
The distraught internet celebrity repeatedly showed her regret for not reaching out or doing something to prevent the situation, eventually confirming that she was indeed talking about Byron on July 3, 2020, with a post saying “Yes, it’s him. He’s gone.”
I’ve been having a panic attack for an hour. I don’t know what to do.
— Blue Madrigal (@BlueGoesMew) July 2, 2020
eSports and Gaming consultant Rod Breslau substantiated the tragedy with a tweet of his own, stating that Reckful’s roommate gave the word of his passing.
Reckful's passing has been confirmed by his roommate. Byron was 31. pic.twitter.com/wfB5A2uhJm
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) July 2, 2020
Who was Byron “Reckful” Bernstein?
Byron—better known as “Reckful”—was an Israeli-American Twitch streamer who made his professional debut playing Blizzard’s popular MMORPG World of Warcraft in 2009. He grew up in a Jewish home and was the youngest of three brothers, with the eldest also having committed suicide back in 1995.
Reckful managed to attain the top rank in World of Warcraft for six consecutive seasons, in addition to winning the 2010 Major League Gaming WoW tournament.
The following year he released a 10-minute YouTube movie titled “Reckful 3” that has so far garnered nearly 6 million views.
In 2012, he became a designer, developer, and operations manager at a gaming mouse company called Feenix, as well as establishing his personal YouTube channel which has amassed over 281,000 subscribers as of this writing.
The WoW streamer was featured in the online publication Gazette Review’s list of richest streamers in 2017, ranking fourth with a declared net worth of $1.5 million.
World of Warcraft wasn’t the only game Byron was known for playing, however, as he was also an established gamer of Blizzard‘s free-to-play digital card game Hearthstone.
The World of Warcraft community pays their respects
Following the news of Reckful’s death, several high-profile names in the gaming world paid tribute to the veteran streamer, including a significant portion of the World of Warcraft community.
the World of Warcraft community paying their respects to Reckful is the most beautiful thing ever pic.twitter.com/ZiGKu7301Z
— Wicked Good Gaming (@WickedGoodGames) July 2, 2020
Players flooded the halls of the game-world with mass gatherings to honor their fallen comrade, sharing heartfelt messages about Byron “Reckful” Bernstein.
Image courtesy of Byron/Twitter