Sydney Hardeman, the young woman whose stunned reaction to Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance went viral, has died by suicide at age 25.
Hardeman first captured the internet’s attention in 2019 when she appeared in Beyoncé: Homecoming, the Netflix documentary chronicling the singer’s historic festival set.
Her wide-eyed, emotional reaction quickly turned her into a fan-favorite meme.
A devoted Beyoncé supporter, she even won an award during her senior year of high school for performing a dance medley to the star’s music.
Hardeman’s mother, Jamie Hardeman, told TMZ on Saturday that her daughter took her own life last weekend.
She had been engaged and was preparing for an April wedding.
Sydney Hardeman, the young woman whose stunned reaction to Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance went viral , has died by suicide at age 25
Hardeman first captured the internet’s attention in 2019 when she appeared in Beyoncé: Homecoming, the Netflix documentary chronicling the singer’s historic festival set
Her wide-eyed, emotional reaction quickly turned her into a fan-favorite meme
According to her family, Hardeman grew up playing basketball, continued the sport through college, and later worked as a flight instructor in Texas.
They say her mood shifted after the death of her grandfather, though they are still searching for clarity about what led to her death.
The family encouraged her to seek counseling, but she canceled her appointments.
Hardeman’s mother shared a message for Beyoncé fans in her daughter’s honor: ‘You guys are young, and you are excited, you guys haven’t gotten to the good part. Lean on your village, Sydney had a huge village … sometimes you just need to be vulnerable to the people around you so they can help you.
‘Parents are here to support you. It’s OK to be down, it’s normal, you haven’t gotten to the good part yet. Please keep going.”
She added that Sydney ‘never meant to leave you. She loved all of you. In her name, make sure you guys are OK and find the support when you need it.’
