TikTok star VonViddy, whose real name was Joe Muchlinski, died by suicide on Monday, just a day after posting a farewell video on his account.
In the video, he expressed how he wanted to be remembered and thanked his fans for their support.
What did Vonviddy say in the farewell video?
In the video posted before his death, he said, “I want to be remembered as a creator. As a creator of videos that made people laugh, and a creator of music."
In the video captioned, "Its all love," he went on to say, "I also want to be remembered as a camp counsellor who helped kids to make happy memories."
@vonviddyIt's all love
♬ original sound - VonViddyHe added, "I’d rather not be remembered as an addict and an alcoholic who put his family through hell. But unfortunately, that’s also part of me.”
Did Joe Muchlinski suffer from mental illness?
Muchlinski had been open about his struggles with mental illness and drug addiction on his TikTok account where he had over 170k followers and 8.7 million likes.
He shared his original music and comedy sketches since 2020, reports Daily Mail.
His sister Martha confirmed his death saying that he “lost his long battle with mental illness” and that he “did take his own life”.
She added: “TikTok meant a lot to him. It gave him joy. It gave him something to laugh at and to make other people laugh at. And he really appreciated that.”
She also posted several childhood pictures of her brother, writing: “Joe was my first word”.
Fans and friends pay tribute to Joe Muchlinski
Friends and fans paid tribute to Muchlinski, describing him as an “audio wizard” with a “rare mind” and a “beautiful soul”.
"I'm so sorry Martha. As you put it so well, there's no replacement for Joe, for the one person who could be your brother. Sending you love, and love to your mom and dad," one wrote on Martha's Facebook post.
In the video which has been seen over 2.5 million times, fans wrote, "Rest in Peace Vonviddy." One another wrote, "Your words are so haunting. I can't believe you're gone. Rest in peace, VonViddy. Much love to his family, I am so sorry for your loss."
