The social media star died by suicide, according to his sister.
Joe Muchlinski has died. The TikTok creator, who went by VonViddy on the platform, died by suicide, his sister, Martha Muchlinski, confirmed. He was 32.
"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," Martha said in a video posted to TikTok. "TikTok meant a lot to him. It gave him joy. It gave him something to laugh at and to make other people laugh at. He really appreciated that."
"Joe fought a really, really long terrible battle with his mental illness. All we can hope now is that he's at peace," she continued. "I did want to provide that closure for anyone that was a VonViddy fan, just to let you know what happened. Thank you."
Martha shared a message alongside the video as well, noting, "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."
She followed up her initial post with a second that featured photos of her brother over the years.
"Thank you, everyone, for the support and kind words," she wrote. "I wish Joe could see how much he was loved. I'm sharing some favorite photos of him here. It's been hard to breathe. I would do anything to have my big brother back. I'll love you forever, Joe. I promise."
@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
The final video Martha mentioned was posted one day before she shared the tragic news of her brother's death. In it, the creator, who had more than 180,000 followers on the platform, shared how he would and would not like to be remembered.
"I want to be remembered as a creator, as a creator of videos that made people laugh, and a creator of music. I also want to be remembered as a camp counselor, who helped kids to make happy memories," he said in the clip. "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."
"I feel so thankful to have such a following. You guys mean the world to me," he continued. "All in all, I've had a terrific life. I got to visit the other side of the world and I made tons of friends from all walks of life. I have nothing to complain about, and I have nothing but peace and love for each and every one of you."
@vonviddy It's all love
♬ original sound - VonViddy
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
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