- Gamer N64Josh shared the news of his son’s death last weekend
- The father said he was touched by the support from the gaming community
Gamer N64Josh heartbreakingly revealed that his son Gavin had committed suicide after ‘losing the battle with his demons’.
The streamer, real name Josh Schmidt, shared the news on Tuesday after his son’s death, saying it was “the hardest weekend of my life.”
“I’m broken,” he said said on X. “I know a lot of the gaming community knew and loved him.”
Tributes poured in for the gamer’s son, with Josh adding that “the outpouring of love from so many of you has been overwhelming and I’m so grateful for all the kind words.”
Gavin Schmidt, the son of gamer N64Josh, tragically took his own life this weekend after ‘losing the battle with his demons,’ his father said
After sharing the news of his son’s death, Josh took to TikTok to speak to his supporters, saying that making the video “wasn’t something I ever wanted to do.”
“I love this little boy,” he said, pointing to a smiling photo of Gavin, whose age is unknown. “He knew.”
“He was incredible, he has no idea how many lives he touched, no idea.”
The gamer said in the clip that the loss was “still fresh” and “very raw,” but added that he made the video because he wanted to “let the world know how amazing he was.”
Speaking to his 70,000 followers, he said he wanted to “let you all know how amazing you are, that you are loved and that you matter.”
“The world is a better place because you are in it.”
In the days following his son’s death, a number of Josh’s supporters in the gaming community shared their own struggles, with the father sending messages of hope to others in the wake of the tragedy.
He said he had “snap streaks” – a feature on the app Snapchat that counts how many days in a row users spoke to each other – with all his children, and was anguished to see them come to an end with Gavin.
Another viewer shared how, after their friend passed away, they paid the app to keep theirs running as it helped them still feel connected – to which the grieving father replied: ‘Sending love your way.’
“Keep fighting, it doesn’t matter, you are loved,” he texted another fan, who told him they were “on the brink.”
Josh (right) said his son Gavin (left) had ‘no idea how many lives he touched’
Josh said he was anguished to see his fast streak with his son come to an end
a GoFundMe was established to fund the family’s funeral expenses, which at the time of writing raised more than $4,000.
The fundraiser, set up by a family friend, said Gavin was “loved, will continue to be loved and will be cherished forever.”
“Loss is never easy and in times like these, community is even more important than ever,” the fundraiser said. “Gavin was well known and loved in the gaming community.”