YouTube and Twitch star Rachell “Valkyrae” has broken her silence after she abruptly ended her 48-hour gaming marathon livestream due to her nephew’s death, saying that “she’s leaving town for a few days to be with her family.” For context, during a livestream on October 11, 2026, Valkyrae appeared to have received a notification on her phone, following which she broke down in tears.
Before ending her livestream marathon, the co-owner of 100 Thieves disclosed that her nephew, who was two years younger than her, had passed away.
She said:
“I think I have to end stream. I’m sorry, chat. I need to mute. Oh, my god, I can’t stream. Okay, my nephew passed away. And I can’t… I can’t, like, do anything because… I’m far. It’s my half-brother’s son. He was so young. He was only two years younger than me. I’m going to… I’m just going to keep playing, but I’m going to host… I’m so sad. Okay, I’m going to raid Miyoung, and I’m going to keep playing. But I just, like, I’m just really sad. But thank you…”
On October 12, 2026, Valkyrae addressed the online community via an X post. While thanking her fans for their “endless support,” the Los Angeles-based personality wrote:
“I’m leaving town for a few days to be with my family. This being the way I end a marathon was unexpected so I’ll say now, thank you for the endless support. Streaming has been incredible and I love how much people enjoy watching just as much as I do entertaining. Thank you to my friends and community for being empathetic and loving. I will always be endlessly grateful. Take care and tell your loved ones you love them.”
Valkyrae says “grief is complex” as she announces a break from livestreaming following her nephew’s death
In the same X post, before Valkyrae announced that she would be taking a hiatus to be with her family following her nephew’s death, she stated that “grief is complex.”
The Twitch streamer elaborated:
“grief is complex, whether inevitable loss is slow or sudden. It’s something we all will experience so sharing my own story and hearing others is comforting… knowing that you’re not alone, knowing I’m not alone.”
Valkyrae made headlines on August 19, 2026, when she responded to allegations of using AI for her YouTube channel.
Edited by Aarnesh Shrivastava