Tragic Details About Valkyrae

Valkyrae went from everyday GameStop employee to the queen of gaming, making her an aspirational figure for many would-be streamers. From being friends with Corpse Husband to becoming one of the first women co-owners of an esports org, Valkyrae is on top of the gaming world. Success isn't necessarily a buffer to the outside world, though, and Valkyrae has experienced her share of struggles on her way to fame.

Often, it seems that streamers are held to a different standard than the rest of the internet. For example, when Pokimane showed off her room in a tour of her streaming setup, she accidentally started a gross new trend which resulted in many fellow streamers (mostly men) calling her tour unrealistic and inauthentic. For a lot of streamers, there's no winning or losing, and all you can do is try to maintain your viewership and hold onto revenue streams.

As a high profile streamer, Valkyrae has dealt with the highs and lows that come along with internet celebrity, but there may be some tragic details about her life that her fans don't know.

In early 2021, Valkyrae had to make her Twitter account private after a stalker refused to stop sending her alarming messages. She explained that this individual had made "hundreds" of alternate accounts to continue messaging her, and because Twitter does not block individual IP addresses, that tactic worked. Valkyrae set her account to private in order to avoid seeing the person's insistent messages. The problems didn't stop there, though.

Later, Valkyrae announced that she wouldn't be living with her current roommates anymore, including Pokimane. She said that she didn't have any issues with her current roommates, but that she needed to get out of a bad situation. Valkyrae explained, "Y'know the lease is coming to an end, and this house has pros and cons, and plus the address has been leaked by stalkers and stuff, so we all kind of just wanna, y'know...get out of here." The house of streamers did part ways, all moving to separate homes. Valkyrae said she was looking forward to living on her own for a while. 

In a separate, now deleted stream (via Dexerto), Valkyrae said that Twitter eventually helped her solve her stalking case, but not without help from some higher-ups. Rae told fans that her esports org, 100 Thieves Gaming, had connections at Twitter who ultimately helped her get rid of her stalker. Valkyrae was unsure of what ultimately happened to the fan, but said she hadn't heard from him since Twitter helped her out.

Valkyrae tries to be authentic with her audience, and she's even admitted to personal struggles she's experienced. Once on stream, Valkyrae surprised herself by talking about a time she considered self-harm, even recounting a moment when she had a blade in her hand and thought hard about hurting herself. 

"Looking back," she said to her fans, "I can't even believe how different my life has changed from back then, you know? It's just...that was like, what? Ten years ago? And now I'm the happiest ever been." Valkyrae emphasized that people who struggle with their mental health need to keep trying because things change and one never knows what the future might hold.

However, Valkyrae's history of discussing her history of mental health struggles doesn't end with that stream. In 2017, Rae tweeted about an "emptiness" that she feels at night sometimes. She tweeted, " To those with depression and/or anxiety; having to deal with those feelings 24/7.. trying to be healthy/always trying to get out, I'm sorry." Judging from the replies to her post, Valkyrae's honesty with her own mental health struggles has struck a chord with her followers and friends, because they know they're not alone. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Valkyrae found herself rushing to the hospital after she woke up in tremendous pain one night. Once at the hospital, she endured a grueling six hour stay. The pain and subsequent hospital trip forced Valkyrae's hand, leading to her canceling a stream and reevaluating her lifestyle.

Even though Valkyrae's doctors didn't find any abnormal test results, Valkyrae opened up about her scary hospital visit in a later video, saying it was one of the worst days she'd experienced in a long time. From unruly patients to nurses just trying to make it through their shift, Valkyrae had a difficult few hours under medical care. After being discharged, she decided to stay home instead of returning to the hospital for a follow-up appointment, closely monitoring her condition in case anything changed. 

Valkyrae speculated that her diet and lifestyle might be to blame for the sudden onset of pain. She explained to viewers that she felt overdue for a checkup, and that the sudden pain might have been her body's way of telling her to take better care of herself. After all, long streaming hours don't exactly do the body any favors.

One of the most tragic events Valkyrae has endured was the loss of her father, who passed away in 2017 from cancer. According to a report from the New York Times, Valkyrae was able to use her profits from streaming to provide quality end-of-life care for her father.

After her father died in 2017, Valkyrae wrote a heartfelt message to him on Instagram. She said that death was "the hardest to accept, but this is life. And we can learn from the hardships." 

Valkyrae still thinks of her father often. In the video about her traumatic hospital visit, Valkyrae mentioned that an older man she encountered reminded her of her father when he was sick, which likely only made the visit more alarming.

When fellow streamer Dr Lupo tweeted that his dad had passed, Valkyrae responded in solidarity. "I lost my dad last year," she said. "We knew he was going to pass but it was still difficult... So sorry for your loss..biggest life reminder to love and appreciate your loved ones as much as possible." 

When a follower asked how she had coped with the loss of her father, Rae said that she made sure to appreciate her other loved ones "more than ever before" and to value the present moment. She also explained that death is a natural part of life, and that everyone must go through it. Through sharing one of her most difficult experiences, Valkyrae helped teach others about the importance of valuing loved ones.