Model and social media influencer Niece Waidhofer died by suicide at the age of 31 in Houston, Texas, TMZ reported Thursday.
Waidhofer was candid about her mental health struggles and was known to share her mental health challenges with her fans and followers on social media, according to TMZ. Last month, her family grew concerned for her well-being and placed a call to law enforcement, asking them to check on her well-being. She was found deceased by law enforcement upon arriving to her home in the Houston area, according to the outlet.
“Sadly, Niece took her own life after a long battle with mental health issues,” her family said in a statement to TMZ.
Model and influencer Niece Waidhofer — who often worked to help her followers through their own mental health struggles — has died by suicide … TMZ has learned. https://t.co/XoeadAv9G9
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 23, 2022
Many of Waidhofer’s 4.2 million Instagram followers were alerted to the fact that something was askew in her life after discovering that Waidhofer had wiped her Instagram clean except for three posts, according to TMZ. It was later discovered that she had deleted everything in the weeks leading up to her death.
The deletion of her social media account was particularly shocking due to the fact that Waidhofer’s family says she took a lot of pride in writing all her Instagram posts herself. She was proud about the fact that she shot her own photographs without the aid of a professional photographer, according to TMZ. (RELATED: John McAfee’s Alleged Suicide Note Released By Wife)
Model Niece Waidhofer Dies by Suicide at 31 https://t.co/m7RJcYoCn3
— E! News (@enews) June 23, 2022
“She was very open with her followers about her struggles, even wanting to help followers who also suffered,” the family said to TMZ. A non-profit organization called “Peace from Niece” is being launched in her honor, and will work to generate awareness surrounding mental health issues. The organization will also provide grants for mental illness research, according to the outlet.
“Niece was more than her struggles. She was beautiful and kind, sensitive and funny, creative and talented, generous and compassionate, thoughtful and challenging,” Waidhofer’s family said, according to TMZ.
“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,” they continued.
Waidhofer’s exact cause of death has not been revealed.