Beloved gay YouTuber dies by suicide following battle with depression
Tai Williams/Tai Couture (Instagram)
Gay YouTuber Tai Couture, whose real name was Tyree Williams, has died by suicide following a long struggle with depression.
The YouTube personality was known as a hair and make-up artist and had almost 25,000 subscribers on the platform. He died last week.
Williams opened up about his own experience with depression earlier this year following the suicide of ninth-grader Nigel Shelby.
Tyree Williams had suffered from depression for some time before his suicide.
“My heart mourns for the pain, torment, and loneliness this baby felt preceding his suicide,” Williams wrote in a Facebook post at the time.
“My suicide attempt was only a little over a year ago,” he added, noting that he knows first hand “how it feels to be desperate for the hurt to end.”
Our handsome talented beloved son, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, and inspiration voice left this world on October 31, 2019 succumbing to his depression and taking his life.
He also previously opened up about being in a near fatal car accident in a video and said that it may have triggered his depression.
“This is definitely the worst thing that I’ve ever experienced in my life,” he said at the time.
His family are raising funds to host a celebration of his life.
His family confirmed his death in an Instagram post three days ago, writing: “Greetings to all. The family would like to thank everyone for your support and all your kind words.
They also welcomed fans to a “home going” celebration and are raising funds through GoFundMe. So far the family have raised more than $6,000 to help celebrate his life.
Writing on the GoFundMe page, they said Williams had “touched many lives through his talent of styling hair, applying make-up, performing and organizing hair shows.”
“Our handsome talented beloved son, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, and inspiration voice left this world on October 31, 2019 succumbing to his depression and taking his life,” the page reads.
“He will be sorely missed. Hew as loved by all who knew him. We are asking for your help.
Fans expressed their sadness at the YouTuber’s passing on social media.
“My heart is broken,” one Instagram user commented. Another said they are “so upset and heartbroken” and offered their condolences to the family.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can contact the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States on 1-800-273-8255.
