ZEREBRO co-founder Jeffy Yu was reportedly seen taking his own life during a livestream

In the rapidly evolving landscape of Web3, the boundaries of reality and deception can become blurred, especially within the vibrant yet volatile sphere of memecoins. Recently, a story unfolded that had the entire crypto world buzzing with a mixture of disbelief, amusement, and anger.

It all began with a viral livestream on the Pump.fun platform, where Jeffy Yu, 22, co-founder of the AI and blockchain project ZEREBRO, appeared in an emotional state. During the stream, he spoke of sacrificing himself for $LLJEFFY, a memecoin that had launched earlier that day. The video culminated with the sound of a gunshot and the screen cutting to black.

Shortly after, an obituary appeared on Legacy.com, confirming the passing of Jeffy Yu. Among members of the crypto community – particularly followers of the Zerebro project and the concept of “Legacoin” which began with $ZEREBRO — there was widespread disbelief.

After investing in $ZEREBRO since January 2025, members of the community were devastated to learn of Jeffy’s death, especially as he had spoken about making a token that would outlive him. In his words, he would only buy, never sell, and this way, the token would continue even after he was gone.

This concept was realized with $LLJEFFY, the first iteration of a “Legacoin.” Seventy percent of the total supply was burned at launch to create artificial scarcity.

The startup had planned to release its AI album on May 30, but with the news of Jeffy’s death, this plan was scuttled.

However, in the days that followed, a series of unusual details began to emerge, prompting the public to ask: Was this truly a suicide, or a staged performance designed to manipulate the market?

The first red flag came when Jeffy Yu’s obituary on Legacy.com was suddenly removed, without any official notice from his family or authorities. This fueled further skepticism as the community discovered that Legacy is a pay-to-post platform, widely criticized for its low credibility, with a Trustpilot rating of just 1.3 stars.

Meanwhile, on-chain data revealed that the wallet believed to belong to Jeffy remained active after the livestream. The wallet sold $ZEREBRO tokens, transferred USDC to the HTX exchange, and then used the funds to launch $LLJEFFY. For many investors, this was a textbook example of a pre-planned exit scam.

From a technical perspective, video analysts pointed out inconsistencies in the livestream. Viewers noticed mismatched lighting and audio, described the gunshot sound as artificial, and saw no visible signs of blood or any physical reaction. Some viewers concluded that Jeffy Yu pre-recorded the video instead of streaming it live.

Lastly, despite calling $LLJEFFY his “final work,” Jeffy Yu had scheduled the release of Zerebro’s AI album for May 30 – an action seemingly incompatible with someone presumed dead. This only deepened suspicions that Jeffy Yu and his team carefully orchestrated the entire incident as a marketing ploy.

As of now, local police and medical examiners have not released any official confirmation. The absence of autopsy reports, hospital records, or statements from authorities has only deepened suspicions about the authenticity of the entire event.

On X, well-known crypto KOLs like Irene Zhao, Cobie, Ansem, and Hsaka voiced their doubts. Irene Zhao stated that she had contacted an internal source who confirmed that Jeffy Yu is still alive.

User @Lu77okk wrote:

Faking your own death for a marketing stunt? That’s brutal, cold-blooded.

Others expressed outrage, saying they felt manipulated, and described the event as “blood-soaked marketing”, profiting from false sympathy.

Despite the backlash, part of the community has revered Jeffy as a “martyr” of the memecoin movement. Some even praised him as a marketing genius, someone willing to sacrifice his public image to launch the concept of Legacoin, a so-called “immortal token” on the blockchain that lives beyond its creator’s (alleged) death.

This incident, however it unfolds, marks a crucial moment in the decentralized era. As blockchain technology continues to blur the lines between fiction and reality, it will be interesting to observe how this story ultimately concludes.