YouTube star Etika found dead at 29

A popular YouTube personality has been found dead after posting a video in which he talked about suicide.

New York-based Etika, 29, whose real name is Desmond Amofah, had been missing since Thursday last week.

Police said on Tuesday that he had been found deceased. His belongings were found on Manhattan Bridge on Monday.

Mr Amofah, who became popular streaming video games online, had publicly struggled with mental health issues for the past year, concerning fans with suicidal messages posted on Twitter.

He made suicidal comments online in October last year and April this year, when he was also detained by police while streaming on Instagram Live.

The last video he posted, on Wednesday evening, was entitled "I'm sorry", in which he said social media "consumed" him and said it "can give you an image of what you want your life to be and it can get blown completely out of proportion."

"In an attempt to be edgy, I f------ up my entire life," he said.

The original video has now been removed and some versions uploaded by other users have also been taken down for "violating YouTube's Community Guidelines".

His last message was a tweet sent on Thursday June 20.

Etika had been posting videos on YouTube involving him playing and discussing games since 2012, and was particularly known for his focus on Nintendo.

Last year he was barred from game streaming site Twitch after using a homophobic slur and from YouTube for posting pornography.

An official Twitter account for YouTube Creators paid tribute to him on Tuesday. "We mourn the loss of Etika, a beloved member of our gaming creator community. All of us at YouTube are sending condolences to his loved ones and fans."