TikTok star VonViddy, whose real name was Joe Muchlinski, had died by suicide at age 32, his younger sister said Wednesday.
Martha Muchlinski shared the sad news in a TikTok video in which she said, “I do want to confirm for his fans that he did lose his long battle with mental illness and he did take his own life.”
Muchlinski posted what would be his final video on Monday, which left his followers fearing the worst. In the one-minute clip, he said he wanted to be remembered as a “creator of videos that made people laugh, and a creator of music” and as “a camp counselor who helped kids to make happy memories.”
@martha_merced Joe was my first word. He was my older brother, my only sibling, and this is one of the worst days of my life. I know folks have been concerned since his (Vonviddy's) last video and deserve some closure.@VonViddy #vonviddy #closure #mentalhealthmatters #mentalillness ♬ original sound – martha merced
He also said, “I would rather not be remembered as an addict and an alcoholic who put his family through hell, but unfortunately, that’s also part of me.”
He told his 180,000 followers, “You guys mean the world to me. All in all, I’ve had a terrific life. I got to visit the other side of the world, and I’ve made tons of friends from all walks of life.”
Muchlinski added, “I have nothing but peace and love for every one of you,” before stopping the recording.
In her video, Martha thanked his followers, saying, “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 wrote in her caption, “Joe was my first word. He was my older brother, my only sibling, and this is one of the worst days of my life. I know folks have been concerned since his (Vonviddy’s) last video and deserve some closure.”
Martha also said in her video, “All we can hope now is that he’s at peace.”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988 is a free, 24/7 confidential service that can provide people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, or those around them, with support, information and local resources.
