If you are an old-school YouTube fanatic, then you might have heard of the popular creator, Etika. His reaction videos and gaming streams were once the talk of the town. However, the downfall of his mental health and channel has become a lesson for all his peers and fans.
In the months preceding his unexpected death, his behavior got more and more erratic and unhinged. He would sometimes talk about his mental health problems and, on other occasions, talk about killing himself. During the last month, he was also determined to prove that he wanted to purge everyone.
This intriguing case still attracts people to look up the cause behind his death. Recently, another YouTuber, IShowSpeed, has been compared to Etika as people are seeing similar signs of mental distress in him. So here we are with the details of Etika’s slow descent into madness.
Who Was Etika?
Desmond Daniel Amofah, better known as Etika, was an America YouTuber, streamer, and content creator. He became viral for his reaction videos to Super Smash Bros and for his various other game-playing and reaction videos. He lived in Brooklyn, New York.
Etika began his career in 2007 with a YouTube channel called EWNetwork. He discussed game-related news on his channel and organized many live streams of classic and new games.
The content creator has over 145 million views on his videos and over 1.3 million subscribers on YouTube. He also joined Twitch later. Etika was the son of Ghanaian politician Owuraku Amofah and was a rapper and model, becoming a YouTuber.
What Happened to Etika? Why did he Kill Himself?
Popular streamer and YouTuber Etika killed himself on June 19, 2019. He took his own life on the East River in New York. According to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, he could have jumped from the Manhattan Bridge, resulting in his drowning.
Etika’s erratic behavior in the last few months before his death led followers to believe that he was struggling with mental health. His channels were taken down twice due to pornographic content, which might have taken a toll on him.
Why Is IShowSpeed Being Compared to Etika?
IShowSpeed was recently diagnosed with cluster headache, a very severe infection that is very painful. He uploaded a video where he went into delirium due to the painful condition and claimed he was going to die.
The creator came back after making a recovery in Tokyo, Japan. As Speed was live streaming on August 16, he suddenly stood up and exposed himself to live viewers. It was an accident, and he sat down immediately, but the moment was already captured.
Ever since the moment, Speed has been petrified by his act and has admitted to being severely embarrassed. However, people talking about it repeatedly are causing him to spiral into anxiety.
Many fans are concerned that he is slowly becoming suicidal like Etica, and his latest comments seem self-criticizing. Online bullying is making the condition even worse for him.
The Downfall of Etika
Etika’s streaming and content creation career was on a positive track; however, from late 2018-2019, the YouTuber showed signs of mental distress. He threatened to commit suicide on multiple occasions and was also hospitalized several times. He demonstrated erratic behavior in public concerning his fans.
In late October 2018, he was suspended from Twitter for using the N-word in a tweet. He responded to it by repeatedly saying the word in a video and uploading it. According to Amofah, black people adopted the word “from a tool of hatred into a form of love” and should no longer be treated as a racial slur.
Just two days later, Etika uploaded pornography on his YouTube channel, which got it terminated. He was also banned from Twitch for using another derogatory word. He then posted several cryptic messages hinting at death, which made his followers concerned that he was suicidal.
Etika soon checked into a mental hospital, where he got examined and received anxiety pills. He apologized on his subreddit and claimed he purposefully deleted his account.
He created a new channel in October 2018, EtikaFRFX, where he promised to upload more sincere content. It initially grew in popularity until it got terminated again as Amofah uploaded pornographic material. After this, the creator went into a spiral and tweeted about killing himself and other acts that led to his detainment and hospitalization.
His erratic behavior continued, and he even live-streamed the police detaining him. He claimed to be the “antichrist” on a show and expressed that he wanted to purge all life.
How Did Etika Kill Himself?
In June 2019, Etika posted a video titled “I’m sorry,” where he talked about his mental health, suicidal thought, and the negative impacts of social media. After shooting the video, while walking the New York streets, he left some of his personal belongings on the pedestrian walkway and jumped off Manhattan Bridge.
After his last video surfaced on different outlets, fans and influencers tried to reach him, leading to a missing report. His belongings were discovered on the walkway, and on June 24, his body was found near Pier 16. The body was confirmed to be his and dead at the point of discovery. The cause was found to be suicide by drowning.
Etika’s story has become a life lesson for many, as his followers learned not to ignore mental health and signs of depression and anxiety. Fans claim that ISpeedShow is exhibiting the same symptoms and are concerned about his well-being.
What caused his descent into madness might still be confusing to many, as the sweet YouTuber’s personality made a complete 180 degree.
So, comment down below if you understand the severe mental stress of Speed and hope he recovers from the trauma soon.
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