Byron “Reckful” Bernstein, a renowned American former professional eSports player and Twitch streamer, gained immense popularity through his captivating gameplay of World of Warcraft and Hearthstone on YouTube and Twitch. With a staggering one million followers on the streaming site, Reckful was highly regarded as a top-ranking World of Warcraft gamer. His remarkable achievements include winning Major League Gaming’s World of Warcraft tournament in 2010 and being the first gamer to attain a 3000 rating. Additionally, his gaming film, Reckful 3, garnered widespread acclaim, solidifying his fame within the internet gaming industry. Reckful’s remarkable success in his Warcraft career, accompanied by substantial earnings and recognition, has made him an inspiration for aspiring young social media influencers striving to achieve their dreams.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Byron Reckful Bernstein
- Died At Age: 31
- Family:
- Father: Itamar
- Mother: Judith Bernstein
- Siblings: Gary, Guy
- Born Country: United States
- Height: 5’8″ (173 cm), 5’8″ Males
- Died on: July 2, 2020
- U.S. State: California
- Cause of Death: Suicide
Before Fame
Byron Daniel Bernstein was born on May 8, 1989, into a Jewish household, in Los Angeles, California, to Itamar and Judith Bernstein. Byron had two brothers, Gary and Guy. Guy Bernstein, the eldest of the siblings, committed suicide in July 1995. Byron revealed this to his fans in a YouTube video, and he went on to add that the incident had a significant influence on his life. There is little information available concerning Byron’s academic affiliations. He had always enjoyed gaming and loved competing with other gamers.
Professional Career
Byron, a hardcore World of Warcraft fan, debuted in the esports scene in 2009 with Complexity Gaming. He finished third in the MLG Dallas 2009 tournament and second in the MLG Orlando championship. Following a dismal second-place finish at MLG Columbus 2010, Reckful earned the first place in MLG Washington DC 2010. He competed in Hearthstone esports, finishing third-4th in the 2013 Innkeeper’s Invitational.
While Byron enjoyed competing in Esports, his main accomplishments came in twitch streaming. Byron was the first player to attain 3000 ratings in World of Warcraft and finished #1 online for six seasons in a row. Following his victory at the MLG in Washington in 2010, Byron released the gaming film Reckful 3. The game received one million views within a week of its debut and had over six million views as of July 2020.
In 2011, Byron won the WarcraftMovies top skillful contest. Byron was hired as a developer, operations manager, and concept designer at Feenix, a company that makes high-quality gaming mouse, in 2012. He launched his YouTube channel in October of 2012 and released his first video, Reckful 5 stack Taste for Blood, in November. Byron was also placed fourth among the top ten richest streamers by The Gazette Review. Bryon, a lifetime poker lover, also played poker and competed in the 2016 Unibet Open London main event, but was eliminated early.
He was also very kind and routinely participated in charity events, including a charity poker tournament sponsored by PokerGO. In May 2018, Byron launched the Tea Time with Byron podcast, which included long-form interviews with renowned guests from the gaming and streaming communities, like Pokimane and Hikaru Nakamura. Six episodes were made available on the YouTube channel.
Family & Personal Life
Byron was involved with Blue Goes Mew. However, the couple split up in 2019, and Byron committed suicide a year later on July 2, 2020. Following his suicide, admirers from all around the world paid homage.
After his older brother had committed suicide, Byron stated that he was suffering from acute depression, but in January 2020, he said that he was no longer depressed and that he was joyful.
Some Lesser-known Facts about Reckful
- Bernstein took part in a charity poker tournament presented by PokerGO in November 2017. ItsHafu won the competition.
- Reckful enjoyed photography and strived not to give up a pastime he had enjoyed for many years. He had a DeviantArt portfolio where he shared his photography.
- Reckful was an excellent guitarist since his school days.