Stevie Ryan, a popular YouTube star best known for celebrity impersonations, has died at age 33.
Ryan was reportedly found in her home on Saturday and pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office ruled her death suicide.
The actress first gained internet fame in the early 2000s through her YouTube channel “Little Loca” and later racked up hundreds of thousands of views with impersonations of stars like Kim Kardashian, Amy Winehouse and Justin Bieber.
Ryan’s YouTube stardom paved the way for mainstream success, starting with a VH1 pop culture sketch series called “Stevie TV,” which aired in 2012 and 2013. She also served as the co-host of Brody Jenner‘s E! series, “Sex with Brody.”
Ryan recently had been hosting “Mentally Ch(ill),” billed as a “podcast about depression.” In the latest episode, “Death, Grieving and Lithium,” Ryan opened up her grandfather’s recent death, which she described as the “hardest thing that I’ve ever dealt with in my entire life.”
“I’m just worried that this is going to send me into a deeper depression,” she said on the podcast.
Ryan paid tribute to her grandfather in her final social media post days before her death, writing, “The man of my dreams will now only be in my dreams. I’ll miss you everyday, forever. I love you my Pa.”
The YouTube community and some of Ryan’s collaborators took to social media to mourn her loss with heartfelt messages and an outpouring of love.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HELLO to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.
