Niece Waidhofer, an Instagram influencer and model who frequently used her platform to raise awareness about mental health advocacy, committed suicide.
Waidhofer was discovered dead in her Houston home last month after a concerned family member requested a welfare check on the actress.
She was 31 years old.
Waidhofer, who had 4.2 million Instagram followers, routinely shared reels and other content in which she publicly discussed her mental health struggles.
According to family, the influencer, who rose to fame in 2015 after starting the popular ‘Roast Me’ trend on Reddit, committed suicide as a result of mental health issues.
‘Sadly, Niece took her own life after a long battle with mental health issues,’ a relative told the outlet.
They added: ‘She was very open with her followers about her struggles, even wanting to help followers who also suffered.’
Waidhofer, who was unmarried and had no children, deleted nearly all of her social media posts early last month, leaving only three.
Her fans were concerned by the move, with reports circulating on Reddit as early as last month that she had committed suicide.
‘RIP to Niece The strong ones who offer to help and advise also need help and advice. Life is happening to everyone. Rest In Peace,’ one user wrote in one post on May 28 that shared one of the star’s remaining photos – a selfie taken in March.
‘It appears she passed away,’ the user wrote. ‘My condolences to her family & friends, she will be missed. Her last Instagram pic as a tribute to her.’
When word of her death came on Thursday, followers took to social media to express their condolences.
‘She was one of my favorite people to follow on Instagram,’ one person wrote. ‘Mental health is super important. More than you can possibly fathom.’
Another noted how Waidhofer often worked to help her followers through their mental health struggles while struggling herself.
‘The strong ones who offer to help and advise also need help and advice,’ the use wrote, before adding, ‘Life is happening to everyone. Rest In Peace.
Another added: ‘Do ur [sic] best to surround urself [sic] with people who are genuine with u [sic]. this should have been noticed long ago. RIP to her.’
In Waidhofer’s memory, her family announced the establishment of a non-profit organization dedicated to raising mental health awareness and providing funds for mental illness research.
The organization will be called ‘Peace from Niece,’ according to the family.
According to relatives, the late star was more than her mental struggles, and she took pride in the fact that she wrote all of her Instagram posts herself, and shot the majority of her photographs and videos without the assistance of a professional photographer.
‘Niece was more than her struggles,’ her family told the outlet. ‘She was beautiful and kind, sensitive and funny, creative and talented, generous and compassionate, thoughtful and challenging.’
‘While it is so very painful to say goodbye, we take comfort knowing she is reunited with her father, her three grandparents, her Uncle Rusty, and her beloved Puff; and that she is now free to be herself and, finally, at peace.’