Queen of Brooklyn: Nenobia Washington’s Lasting Impact on Social Media

New York City is mourning the loss of The Queen of Brooklyn.

Nenobia Washington, who went viral after an impromptu street interview with HotNewHipHop in 2015, has died. She was 38 and left behind a son named Tyeleck. Law enforcement sources confirmed the news to TMZ on Wed. Nov. 3, saying that police and paramedics responded to a call around 7:40 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30. The influencer, who also went by BK TidalWave, was found unconscious and unresponsive in front of a building in NYC and was rushed to a hospital nearby, where she was pronounced dead. The sources said the investigation revealed Washington’s injuries appear to indicate that she fell from an “elevated position,” adding that it’s believed that she intentionally jumped from six stories up. According to TMZ, the investigation is still underway and the medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of death. 

Her family was reportedly given different accounts of what happened from people who say they witnessed the incident. Facebook posts from various people claiming to be her family members surfaced over the weekend, with conflicting stories that she was missing or that she had died. A post from her cousin Dupree Frederick on Sunday, Oct. 31 announced that she had died. “This is a sad sad day. I can’t believe I’m writing R.I.P to My fam/ Lil Cuzzin/Lil sis Nenobia R.I.P You will be truly missed. May God bless your soul,” Frederick wrote on Facebook, along with photos of her. “You will always be missed. This is fucking me up right now. Love you fam.” David Jackson, her child’s father, spoke to the outlet and said he was told that she fell from a window. Jackson denied the claims that Washington was missing prior to the incident, saying she spoke to their son the night before she died. Her son confirmed the tragic news on TikTok and asked his followers and her fans for donations.

“Guys, it is true. My mom did die. Me and my family don’t have the money to properly send her off so if you can, can you please donate some money so you can help us send my mom off,” he said in the video on Tuesday, Nov. 2, adding a GoFundMe link to his post. “We are looking to raise funds for Nenobia Washington aka BK TidalWave going home service. Nenobia brought laughter and tears, she was loved by many so we are going to make it as nice as we can for her,” the description on the GoFundMe page reads. “Once we have secured a location we will set the plans up so the people that would like to show their respects can.” The crowdsourcing page has already surpassed the $30,000 goal.