Staff Sgt. Michelle Young, a U.S. Army servicewoman who became a popular social media influencer through her fitness and fashion account, has died by suicide at the age of 34, according to a GoFundMe page launched by her friend, Sarah Maine, on Saturday (January 20).
“Michelle was a beautiful soul, an amazing friend, a single mother, a soldier, and is proof you never know what someone is going through or what demons they may be fighting,” Maine wrote.
“We will never fill the gaps in our hearts and will always be left with questions,” she added.
Young served in the U.S. Army for 16 years after initially enlisting at the age of 18 and completed two tours in Afghanistan, according to the Daily Mail. News of Young's death came two days after she shared an Instagram post wishing her 12-year-old daughter, Gracie, happy birthday.
"Happy birthday to the sweetest girl I’ve ever known. She’s a force to be reckoned with, she’s witty, ambitious, kind, compassionate, intelligent, hardworking, hilarious, and selfless," Young wrote. "I cried the entire time I made this. I love you forever, kiddo. The best part about my life is being your momma 💕"
Young had more than 100,000 followers on her Instagram account where she modeled fitness apparel from a female veterans-focused company and advocated for improvements to mental health treatment and combat homelessness for veterans. The staff sergeant also shared a post in September for Suicide Prevention Week in which she acknowledged that her older brother died by suicide when she was 14.
“From the outside looking in it looked like she had it all,” Maine wrote in a separate post. “Mental illness is so prevalent especially in the military. We need to find a way to do better.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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