Warning: Contains references to suicide
US Army soldier and popular social media influencer Michelle Young has died by suicide at the age of 34.
News of Young's passing was announced by a friend named Sarah Maine on a GoFundMe page set up on Saturday (20 January), shortly after Young's death.
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Young had amassed more than 108,000 followers on Instagram, where she described herself as a 'mama' and a soldier, as well as someone whose content includes 'fitness, fashion [and] dad jokes'.
The mom regularly shared insights to her life, including fashion tips and photos from trips and events.
In her spare time, Young was a crisis trauma response volunteer in her local area, advocated for better mental health treatment for veterans and was vocal about tackling homelessness.
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Her passion for helping soldiers came thanks to the 16 years she spent in the Army, during which she completed two tours in Afghanistan.
On GoFundMe, Maine explained that Young had died by suicide. The events surrounding her death remain unclear.
Maine described young as a 'beautiful soul, an amazing friend, a single mother [and] a soldier'.
She also said Young was 'proof you never know what someone is going through or what demons they may be fighting'.
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Maine continued: "Michelle is survived by her daughter Gracie, who was her whole world.
"NOTHING can replace her mother, but the purpose of this [fundraiser] is to help her daughter Gracie with anything she may need. We know Michelle would appreciate us all looking out for her now."
Maine set a goal of $50,000 on the fundraiser and has so far raised more than $34,000.
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Tributes have been flooding in for Young in the wake of her death, with many of her followers sharing their sorrow over the news in the comments under her most recent posts.
"RIP, thank you for your service…," one person wrote.
And another commented: "You were so loved. I’m so sad."
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On GoFundMe, donors described Young as a 'beautiful soul', an 'amazing' mother and a 'good soldier'.
In September 2023, Young shared a post for Suicide Prevention Week in which she described how her older brother had taken his own life when she was 14 years old.
Young encouraged anybody in distress to reach out.
If you'd like to donate to the fundraiser for Young's daughter, you can do so here.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
You can also call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 at the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline.
Topics: US News, Instagram, Mental Health
Emily Brown