As the devastating news of Etika’s death is processed by his friends and fans, who’s body was pulled from the East River by the New York City Police Department on the evening of June 24, it’s remembered that this is not the first tragic loss his family has experienced. Etika, who’s real name was Desmond Daniel Amofah, lost his older brother Randy on October 31, 2010.
Etika’s death was a suicide pre-empted by his scheduled goodbye video entitled, “I’m Sorry,” and many believe that his brother’s death, who was 8 years older than him, was a loss that the 29-year-old You Tube star never dealt with properly, and could’ve been a major factor leading to his suicide.
In 2015, Etika mentioned his brother’s death on Twitter, but never went into full detail about how he died. It’s unknown whether he was killed, committed suicide, or if health issues were a contributing factor.
God every time I think about it, it hits me that we will NEVER see him again, and I feel so crazy. My big brother died in 2010, so I know.
There’s a full tribute video to Randy Amofah on You Tube. Set the music of P. Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You,” it includes a 4-minute stream of family photos, many of which include Etika.
Etika’s confirmed death is understandably making for one of the most difficult times in his parents’ life, Emmanuel and Sabrina Amofah. Their son Etika was missing for six days, before he was confirmed as dead by authorities. The day after he posted his “I’m Sorry” video, police had found what appeared to be some of his belongings, which included Etika’s New York driver’s license, wallet, cell phone, black and red Nintendo Switch, and his laptop bag, which contained a pair of boxers, a shirt, shorts, and headphones.
The popular gamer had a long history of having mental health issues, and it was only 8 months ago that he was taken into custody in his Brooklyn apartment by the NYPD and committed to the psychiatric ward of a hospital.
In his 8-minute goodbye video, which was swiftly taken down by You Tube the day after it was posted, Etika said, “I’m sorry for leaving such a stained legacy. I hope that my story maybe helps to make YouTube a better place in the future where people know boundaries and limits and how far things should go. You know I wasn’t suicidal before — I really wasn’t. But one thing I didn’t realize was that the walls were closing around me so fast. I really had no intention of killing myself but I’d always push it too far. I guess I am mentally ill.”
If you or anyone you know is suffering from depression please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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