Tyler “Ninja” Blevins
Have you heard of the ligma disease? Don’t feel bad if you haven’t because the disease doesn’t actually exist. Nevertheless, that hasn’t prevented stories of streamer Tyler Belvins, better known as Ninja to his fans, from spreading, implying he died of ligma.
WHAT IS LIGMA DISEASE?
So, how did this fabricated illness originate? The ninja_hater Instagram account posted an image on July 16, showing the streamer with several deceased personalities in Heaven who are asking him to join them. Moreover, the heavily Photoshopped image came with the caption, “Spread this. Let’s make fake news.”
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BlTjB1bl9MW/
ninja_hater spoke with Polygon about his post, saying, “My account started over trying to mess with a friend, and then I just kept it going for fun. The whole ‘Ninja dying’ joke was just to see how much it would spread, and to shake up the internet community.”
As the image spread across social media, people — fans and trolls alike — tweeted at Belvins, asking him if he’s okay. Coincidentally, Belvins had unusually neglected to stream the previous day. While missing a day of streaming would generally be assumed to be innocuous, the mounting rumors about his death provoked anxiety within his fanbase.
As for the word ligma itself, it’s a low-brow joke. When one asks, “What’s Ligma?” the response is, “Ligma balls.” Eventually, the word became attached to ninja_hater’s hoax through Spookid, who left a comment on Belvins’ Instagram, exclaiming, “What the f— i thought you died from ligma.” The confused streamer then inquired what ligma was, falling for the sophomoric joke.
Nevertheless, ligma is fast becoming accepted into the social media lexicon. Ubran Dictonary now has a listing for the word, describing it as “a rare disease that usually Fortnite streamers carry,” adding, “This disease was believed to take the life of famous streamer Ninja.” Belvins himself even used the joke in a conversation with another internet celebrity, PewDiePie.
Ligma
— Ninja (@Ninja) July 22, 2018
— Ninja (@Ninja) July 22, 2018
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