NEWPORT, N.Y.—The popular cosplayer, Twitch gamer and adult content creator known as SheyTheGay, died suddenly on December 25. She was 26 years old.
The multi-award-nominated cosplayer had earned a fan award nomination for Favorite Cosplayer at the 2026 AVN Awards, with winners to be announced later this month at the AVN Expo in Las Vegas.
Adult starlet Gigi Sweets remarked, "Shey leaves behind a legacy of creativity and community. A star in our sky gone too soon, to be missed by everyone she loved. Shey enjoyed photography, drawing and gaming. She loved traveling, and spending time with her friends. She will be dearly missed by her community.”
Details posted on her Facebook and Instagram pages said that Shey, as she was popularly known, was a native of Little Falls, New York, and had studied media, communications and photography at Monroe Community College.
On SheyTheGay’s Instagram page, the most recent post informed followers of her passing, and said: “With a heavy heart I must inform you all that last week shey passed away. She was so hilarious and talented, kind and shared so much love with the world. Such a beautiful girl inside and out truly and loved the community she has built so very much.” A heart emoji was inserted before the posthumous caption continued, “life will truly not be the same without you. Her loss was completely unexpected and the family needs support during this time.”
Dated two days ago, there was an outpouring from followers in the comments section who expressed their shock and condolences. The post included a photo gallery of SheyTheGay, smiling, in different costumes, as well as a photo of her cats.
Instagram user @waifu.rachel said, “I’m so grateful I got to know such a wonderful, beautiful and charismatic person, such a bright light of positivity & bubbliness in this world. We miss you so much Shey.”
“The best people are always taken from us too early. You were such an icon Shana, and by far one of the kindest people id met in the community,” said @yo_itz_nate.
On the Shey Dagae Facebook page, fellow cosplayer Pomma Granate posted a message and said, “This is very heartbreaking, Shey passed away a couple days ago... Words cannot describe how thankful I am that I got an opportunity to meet Shey and get to know her as I did. We’ve lost such a beautiful incredible angel in this community and I want us to do everything we can to honor, cherish and memorialize her how she truly deserves.”
The pink-haired e-girl, experienced cosplayer and LGBTQIA content creator was a regular on the con circuit, with a presence on various social media platforms including as a part-time Twitch streamer and with more than 30,000 followers on TikTok. In a recent YouTube vlog, she documented a trip to New York City’s Javits Center for the Anime NYC show in August, as well as a visit to New York’s Museum of Sex.
“I'm just a nerd with a dream of makin’ lots of content for people to smile at,” the cosplayer said on her social media accounts. “I'm also a nerd who loves to play dress up, what can I say?”
In her most recent vlog post, from September, titled “A Day in The Life of an E-Girl,” Shey talked about string of medical issues, including a bout with the flu followed by corrective dental surgery, which had interrupted her ability to post content in the last few months.
She passed away at her home and no cause of death has been given. She is survived by her parents, grandfather, three siblings, as well as several extended family members and close friends.
Well known for her love of cats, donations to the Herkimer County Humane Society, P.O. Box 73, Mohawk, N.Y. 13407 have been suggested, in her memory. A link to a GoFundMe campaign also was posted to her social media accounts. Donations will go to help with funeral expenses.
