Ninja, Twitch’s top streamer, diagnosed with cancer at 32: ‘In a bit of shock’

The gaming community was devastated after Ninja, the number one streamer on Twitch, revealed that he’d been diagnosed with skin cancer. He dropped the sad news in a heartbreaking post making the rounds on X.

“Alright I’m still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated,” wrote the 32-year-old Fortnite player — real name Tyler Blevins — who boasts a record 19 million Twitch followers.

The Illinois-born streamer explained that doctors had found a cancerous mole on his foot after going to an annual dermatologist checkup at the behest of his wife Jessica.

“There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful,” described Blevins, who also has nearly 24 million YouTube followers. “It came back as melanoma, but they are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, melanoma is a type of skin cancer associated with exposure to ultraviolet light of the type generated by the sun, tanning beds and other sources. One of the more common skin cancers in younger people, melanoma is generally denoted by changes in existing moles, although it can sprout up on otherwise healthy skin.

Ninja, who’s reportedly also having a second suspicious spot checked out to be safe, said he’s “grateful” doctors caught the cancer early and encouraged his followers to schedule regular checkups.

The tragic update had the gaming community reeling.

“Hoping for the best,” wrote fellow Twitch streamer SypherPK. “Lots of love to Jess for being proactive as well.”

Canadian gamer and YouTube streamer Nick EH 30 added, “Sending the best vibes your way!”

Meanwhile, gaming enthusiast and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III also sent Ninja his best wishes, writing: “Praying for you brother.”

After first joining Twitch in 2011, Ninja quickly became a fixture on the platform for his viral play-throughs of the multiplayer game Fortnite. The YouTuber’s videos became so popular that players can pay to make their characters resemble him.

In March 2018, Blevins set a Twitch.tv record for a single individual stream while playing Fortnite when he hosted a game with rappers Drake, Travis Scott, and NFL rookie-cum-gamer JuJu Smith-Schuster.

The stream attracted a whopping 628,000 concurrent viewers.

The gamer broke this record a month later during his eponymous event Ninja Vegas 2018, where he amassed an audience of 667,000 live viewers.

Ninja has also been recognized outside the gaming sphere, notably appearing on season 2 of “The Masked Singer.“

Ninja’s announcement comes less than a week after Princess of Wales Kate Middleton revealed that she’s battling cancer that was discovered following a major abdominal surgery in January.

“Tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” announced a gaunt Kate in a heartbreaking video statement. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”