Popular online streamer and "World of Warcraft" pro Byron "Reckful" Bernstein died on Thursday, according to multiple reports, and left a void felt by the community he left behind.
Reckful had 254,000 YouTube subscribers and almost 1 million Twitch followers. He was a daily presence for viewers interested in his gameplay and also his views on life. His well-documented struggles with mental health and willingness to open up about his feeling made him an accessible figure in an industry that sometimes pushes aside vulnerability.
Reckful died at 31 years old.
In the aftermath of the news, an outpouring of emotion and discussion of his massive impact took place on social media.
Here are some of the people who shared their thoughts on Reckful's legacy and what he meant:
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
— Nightblue3 (@Nightbloo) July 2, 2020
He was a very kind soul who deserved so much better. Rest in peace, you will be missed very much
RIP Reckful, I've been a big fan over the years. Mental health can often feel like an impossible battle but try to remember you're not alone.
— Peter Dager (@Peterpandam) July 2, 2020
RIP Reckful.
— Castro1021 (@Castro1021) July 2, 2020
<3
What a dark day. I'm totally crushed and I didn't even know Reckful personally. He was a pillar in the Twitch Streaming community who I silently admired the success of.
— B0aty (@B0aty) July 2, 2020
RIP
Reckful was one of the first streamers I subbed on Twitch, and while we haven't talked a lot in the past few years, I enjoyed my time a lot with him esp. back in the HS days at events and gatherings.
— Amaz (@Amaz) July 2, 2020
RIP @Byron <3
really hurts my heart to see so many people on the timeline who were close to Reckful waking up to this news :(
— Avalanche (@Avalanche100T) July 2, 2020
rest easy @Byron 💜
I am so shocked and don’t know what to say...
— Frodan (@Frodan) July 2, 2020
Rest In Peace reckful...
Rest in peace, Reckful.
— ocelote CarlosR (@CarlosR) July 2, 2020
How is every day of 2020 still somehow worse than the last? RIP Reckful. https://t.co/NbQjjXpkbA
— Brian Kibler (@bmkibler) July 2, 2020
Rest in peace Reckful. Always looked up to him.
— Plub (@PG_Plup) July 2, 2020
watched reckful for most of my adult years on twitch, my fav clip of him :( im sure lots of us can relate to this video pic.twitter.com/CZmHnWoAIW
— josh (@sadboysheepy) July 2, 2020
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
This is one of my fav clips of Reckful. He started talking to a psychiatrist on stream to help other depressed viewers, and to motivate them to seek actual help irl.
— shàwn (@suguruviole) July 2, 2020
They were talking about finding purpose and meaning in life, cause Byron has been suicidal for years. pic.twitter.com/0oQ7rvymWQ
I will always be grateful to Reckful for the advice about streaming and our many conversations about life. I'm sure I'm not alone amongst your friends in wishing I could have done more.💔I hope you are in a better place now. Rest In Peace @Byron
— Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) July 2, 2020
In total shock.
— Isaac CB (@RiotAzael) July 2, 2020
Reckful & I used to spend all day for years and years playing WoW, laughing, talking shit. I honestly don't think he ever realized how much joy he brought those around him.
He was a great friend, wonderful & incredibly unique person and I will miss him so much.