Tributes pour in after passing of streaming pioneer Reckful Instagram: byron.bernsteinFollowing the unfortunate and untimely death of ever-popular Twitch streamer Byron \u2018Reckful\u2019 Bernstein, many of the top personalities across streaming and esports have paid their respects. Reckful\u2019s passing was confirmed on Thursday, July 2, 2020 by his ex-girlfriend, BlueGoesMew. The streaming legend sadly took his own life after an open, ongoing battle with mental health issues. There\u2019s no doubt that Reckful touched the lives of many, as both a competitor and streamer. During his competing days, Byron was arguably one of the greatest World of Warcraft players to touch the game. He finished rank one online for six successive seasons, was the first player to reach a 3000 rating in the game, and placed 2nd, 2nd, and 1st in the three WoW MLG Pro Circuit tournaments he attended in 2010. His streaming and online personality was where Bernstein really excelled, though, as evidenced through the tributes that came out. He always came across as someone that simply wanted to do the right thing: while his streams were fun, and the skill was evidently there, he would always be just as much a friend as an entertainer. In the early 2010s, Byron was just about untouchable when it came to livestreaming. He would often be the most-viewed channel on Twitch and, later on, helped bolster the IRL streaming revolution thanks to his Pokemon Go streams. Through it all, he came across as a kind person who simply wanted good things for himself and those around him, be it his family or his fans. Reckful\u2019s open struggle with depression and mental health issues, in an attempt to remove the stigma surrounding it, appeared to make a huge impact on so many of his fans, as became painfully clear when the news started to break. The most telling symbol of just how much Reckful meant came from within World of Warcraft itself, the game from which he made his name, in which thousands gathered to mourn the loss of an icon in the scene. Today we all witnessed not only the largest in-game memorial but also the largest in-game player-driven event in the history of World of Warcraft In times like this it’s easy to think of the evil that people are capable of but we can’t forget the purity and kindness as well. pic.twitter.com\/5mzOSZrM3Z \u2014 Zack (@Asmongold) July 3, 2020 Asmongold said it was \u201cnot only the largest in-game memorial,\u201d but also \u201cthe largest in-game player-driven event in the history of World of Warcraft,\u201d an incredible testament to what Reckful achieved and how many lives he touched. Outside of the game, streamers and top personalities commented in droves. Fellow streamer Jake\u2019n\u2019Bake said that \u201dOnly a few legends ever existed on Twitch\u201d but that \u201cReckful was one of them.\u201d Only a few legends ever existed on Twitch Reckful was one of them Inspiration for so many, and for myself Rest In Peace @Byron \u2764\ufe0f Thanks for the tea last year.. it meant more to me than you know. I felt like you finally accepted me as your friend I find myself frozen rn.. \u2014 Jake’n’Bake (@jakenbakeLIVE) July 2, 2020 Similarly, xQc said that Byron was a \u201chuge inspiration\u201d to him and he \u201cchanged streaming forever.\u201d Byron was an huge inspiration in many ways for me and and a lot of people\/streamer. He changed streaming forever, we’re going to miss him so much. \u2014 xQc (@xQc) July 2, 2020 Twitch themselves even paid tribute to Reckful, calling him a \u201cpioneer\u201d who changed the communities he was involved in \u201cforever\u201d thanks to his \u201crelentless pursuit of excellence.\u201d Rest in peace, Reckful.https:\/\/t.co\/dyRnzfMLU3 pic.twitter.com\/Va9Ybyc94Q \u2014 Twitch (@Twitch) July 2, 2020 WoW and variety content streamer Esfand pleaded with people to remember the fun times and smiles shared with Byron, be it on-stream or off. Found this picture of the last time Reckful came to my house and we were playing with my green screen. As sad of a day as it may be, let\u2019s remember the smiles and fun times @Byron shared with so many others over the years, both on stream and off pic.twitter.com\/mKAtQr5zXw \u2014 Esfand (@EsfandTV) July 3, 2020 Long-time friend AriaSaki shared a hilarious and heartbreaking thread of moments she shared with Byron, detailing just how fun, fair, and kind of a person he was. Byron; a thread that shows the joy and silliness the time I got to spend as one of his best friends. I have a lot I want to say. When you didn’t respond to me right away at 8am, I was hoping to hear from you waking up. I need more time. For now please enjoy these moments with me: pic.twitter.com\/mlIqDTjno2 \u2014 aria\ud83c\udfc5 (@AriaSaki) July 2, 2020 What is most prevalent from the outpouring of support, though, is not how much Reckful inspired generations of streamers \u2013 which he did \u2013 but who he was as a person, as a friend and as an advocate for the betterment of mental health awareness and treatment. Chance \u2018Sodapoppin\u2019 Morris said that at times, Reckful was \u201cthe best person to be with,\u201d adding that he \u201cdeserved so much better than this.\u201d Byron u deserved better. Life is not fair. You were at times the best person to spend time with, u deserved\u2026so much better than this. U were and always will be a legend in my life so in that way you’ll never die. RIP. \u2014 ChanceMorris (@Sodapoppintv) July 2, 2020 GreekGodx said that Byron helped in his incredible weight loss journey, simply saying that the late star \u201cchanged my life.\u201d Byron helped me lose weight. He changed my life. Thanks for everything. I love you and i will miss you for the rest of my life. pic.twitter.com\/nYay3QzULH\u2014 Dimitri (@Greekgodx) July 3, 2020 Golden Guardians WoW player pikaboo called Reckful an icon and inspiration, saying that he \u201cgave people hope.\u201d Reckful was an icon and an inspiration to myself and every person I know in the gaming world. He gave people hope and showed people it was possible to make a career out of doing something that they loved. Rest In Peace Byron \u2764\ufe0f \u2014 J Smit (@pikaboowow) July 2, 2020 Call of Duty and World of Warcraft host, Rich Campbell, said that Byron\u2019s legacy \u201cwill never die\u201d and that \u201cthere are countless ways he changed our communities for the better.\u201d Byron inspired countless people and invited us in to his life. His legacy will never die, there are countless ways he changed our communities for the better. I\u2019ll always remember him as a legend Rest In Peace \u2014 Rich Campbell (@RichWCampbell) July 2, 2020 His older brother, Gary, asked for fans and friends to share their stories with him, with a multitude of responses showing just how many lives Reckful touched. My baby brother Byron @reckful is gone. RIP. He left in a similar way as my older brother Guy. I\u2019ve no siblings left. If you have stories and pictures of him, please share them. pic.twitter.com\/11sNZkNxFy \u2014 grateful (@gary_bernstein) July 2, 2020 Needless to say, the list goes on and on. You need only search his name on social media to see the hundreds of thousands of posts that have been made to pay respect to a true legend of streaming and the communities in which he invested his time. There are very few people that could reach as far and wide as Reckful did, but the overwhelming response from fans and friends the world over is that he was nothing short of a great person who will always be remembered fondly. From us at Dexerto, we can only hope that those closest to Reckful get the respect and closure they need as we extend our sincerest condolences. He was a pioneer and an icon whose work will never be forgotten. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, or know anyone that is, and you would like to talk to someone, please reach out and call the Suicide Prevention Helpline 1-800-273-8255 (USA) or the Samaritans 116-123 (UK).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tributes pour in after passing of streaming pioneer Reckful Instagram: byron.bernsteinFollowing the unfortunate and untimely death of ever-popular Twitch streamer Byron \u2018Reckful\u2019 Bernstein, many of the top personalities across streaming and esports have paid their respects. Reckful\u2019s passing was confirmed on Thursday, July 2, 2020 by his ex-girlfriend, BlueGoesMew. The streaming legend sadly took his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62008\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}