Who was SquidKid1111 and what happened to her? Cosplay community mourn Ashley Paxton, slam online racist comments following death

Ashley Gail Paxton, better known as SquidKid1111, passed away at the end of October, according to a Forest Lawn Funeral Homes obituary. 

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to self-harm. Readers' discretion is advised. 

Ash was a 20-year-old University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) student who was studying in their third year.

Paxton was among the recipients of one of the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry’s departmental awards. Ashley received the Ethel Terry McCoy Award. 

Apart from their academic accomplishments, SquidKid1111 was a well-known cosplayer with over 15,800 followers on Instagram. Their TikTok handle, which is currently private, has more than 72,300 followers.

Ashley Paxton passed away on October 27, according to their Forest Lawn Funeral Homes obituary. 

A fellow cosplayer and content creator, @TheAlicePika, confirmed in a recent X post that Ashley committed suicide.

According to HollywoodLANews.com, Los Angeles County officials reported that the 20-year-old died at their residence.

Alice stated that the online bullying and racism might have led SquidKid1111 to take their own life. 

A recent Instagram post on SquidKid1111’s account confirmed the news of their demise. The post remembered Ashley, who had been a cosplayer for seven years: 

“They met many of you here on Instagram, but also at conventions, at clubs and across campus, at professional photoshoots, and other day-to-day interactions. They genuinely loved the transformation and magic of cosplay, and connecting with others through that community.” 

The post continues: 

“So it is with the heaviest of hearts that we inform you of Ashley's passing.” 

According to the post, Ashley’s funeral was held on Thursday, November 13. On the same day, a memorial service was streamed live, allowing online users to pay their respects. The post concluded: 

“Ashley was a light not just on screen, but in the lives of everyone they knew, and we hope to nurture that same love and kindness in their memory.” 

Netizens call out online racism as they mourn Ashley Paxton, aka SquidKid1111 

TheAlicePika remembered Ash on X, as she called out the haters for spreading negativity on the internet.

Alice wrote: 

“Racism is insane... a beautiful cosplayer named squidkid1111 committed suicide this month, and the trigger seems to be exhaustion from all the racist comments on their cosplay posts, including negativity from a photographer who liked a racist comment directed at them.” 

Alice remembered Ashley as an educated, intelligent, friendly, and kind person, who did not deserve hate for the color of their skin. TheAlicePika added:

“People on the internet can be absolute monsters. So many Black cosplay enthusiasts refuse to cosplay and put themselves out there because they don't want to be ridiculed online, because it actually does hurt. Our brains are wired to run away from predators, not handle hate from the internet. May their soul rest in Heavenly Paradise.” 

“Its baffling how cruel some people can be… it breaks my heart seeing stuff like this,” a user replied to Alice’s post. 

“apparently it was more than simply the hate comments under their posts but yeah still,” another user highlighted the severe cyberbullying. 

“quit cosplaying when I was a teen due to racism. When you’re young it has a devastating psychological impact, it’s more than just “mean words” like people say, it’s unprovoked dehumanization. Nerdy spaces in particular have become a cesspool of hateful people,” one user recounted their experience as a former cosplayer. 

“why the f*** is society fine and doing ‘okay’ for letting racists murdered an innocent person, they were just doing what they love and did so great at cosplaying and their life ended up being taken way too early by these racist mfs,” another one expressed their anger. 

The final post on Ashley Paxton’s account appeared last week and aimed at spreading awareness about the sensitive topic of suicide and self-harm.

The comments on all posts have seemingly been disabled following the cosplayer’s death.