ESSENCE Poll: How Do You Respond to Troubling Tweets on Your Timeline?

Hip-hop artist and YouTube personality Freddy E (born Frederick Eugene Buhl) died this past weekend in an apparent suicide, according to Seattle’s King County Medical Examiner’s office. The reason for his death has not been confirmed, but moments before he allegedly shot himself, the budding rapper sent out a series of troubling tweets to his 100,000 followers expressing sadness and despair.

“If there’s a God then He’s calling me back home,” he wrote. “This barrel never felt so good next to my dome. It’s cold & I’d rather die than live alone.”

“It’s… all… bad… y’all. *puts finger around trigger*” he tweeted a little later, and then added, “I love you mom. I love you Dad. I love you Katherine. God… please forgive me. I’m sorry.”

On a Facebook post, the rapper’s father, Frederick Douglass Buhl, expressed his family’s heartbreak:

“Our family is saddened beyond words; our loss is great; this tragedy is enormous and unforseen,” he wrote. “We pray that God will now watch over him, and we ask all of you to include Frederick and our entire family in your thoughts and prayers.”

Were the 22-year-old rapper’s tweets a classic case of someone calling out for help? And could any of his followers have known he was being serious? His friend and alleged ex-girlfriend, rapper Honey Cocaine, tweeted she thought he was joking because that was his style.

So tell us: How do you respond when you see troubling tweets on your timeline? Share your thoughts, and condolences, in the comments below.

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