The first "fake death of the Roshomon" in encryption history? A complete record of Zerebo co-founder Jeffy's fake death controversy.

Behind the confusing and elusive facade, what is the truth?

Written by: KarenZ, Foresight News

This week, in the world of cryptocurrency, the "fake death" incident of Zerebro project founder Jeffy Yu has undoubtedly become the most controversial focal event.

From the outbreak of the rumor of "suicide" to the gradual revelation of the truth behind the "fake death", there are those who condemn the market manipulation behavior surrounding this event, while others express sympathy for the situation, believing it to be a "desperate act of survival."

Is this a meticulously planned scam? Or is it an extreme portrayal of human struggles within the crypto ecosystem?

Act 1: Death Live Stream and Heritage Coin Declaration

The incident began on May 4, 2025, when 22-year-old Jeffy Yu conducted a live broadcast on the pump.fun platform; however, the broadcast ended in a shocking manner. Multiple community users claimed, "Jeffy Yu committed suicide during the live stream, after finishing a cigarette, he pointed a gun at his neck and pulled the trigger, then the screen fell into silence."

Related videos quickly spread on Twitter, and the cryptocurrency community was instantly shrouded in mourning. However, due to the lack of official confirmation of the video's authenticity, some users began to question whether the incident was some kind of marketing gimmick.

Before this live broadcast, an article about "Legacoin" published by Jeffy Yu also drew attention. He proposed the concept of "Legacy Memecoin" (derived from legacy memecoin), with the core idea being that developers commit to only buying and not selling related assets, and upon their death, permanently lock them on the blockchain, thus achieving the "eternal existence of digital heritage."

On the day of the live broadcast, a token named LLJEFFY was launched on the pump.fun platform.

Act II: Obituary is published, community members post condolences

On May 5th, the obituary platform Legacy released news about the passing of Jeffy Yu, detailing his resume: he enrolled in Stanford University at the age of 15, later studied at Northeastern University and Arizona State University, worked as a software engineer in Santa Cruz at 19, co-founded a company at 21, and raised its market value to 800 million dollars within six months. The obituary states that Jeffy Yu was 22 years old at the time of his death, but it did not mention the specific cause of death.

Community users widely believe that Jeffy Yu mentioned in the obituary is a co-founder of Zerebro. Currently, Jeffy Yu's official X account and Zerebro's official X account can no longer be queried. This has led many people to believe that Jeffy Yu has indeed passed away. Community members are posting tributes.

Act Three: The death switch is triggered, and the truth begins to reveal itself.

Of course, the author has a cautious and skeptical attitude towards this. One reason is that the Legacy platform allows users to pay to publish obituaries.

As expected, just when the community was immersed in grief, on May 6, an article published by Jeffy Yu's Mirror account surfaced. The article stated, "If you are reading this, it is because my 72-hour death switch has been triggered. At least on a physical level, I am no longer in this world."

Jeffy Yu then added half-jokingly: Or maybe it's my ADHD acting up (oh no, I'll update when I suddenly realize "oh shit", it would be awkward if the token hasn't launched yet).

Jeffy Yu then introduced the core content of the article - "Legacoin", calling it his final artwork, code-named LLJEFFY. He explicitly stated that "Legacoin is not an investment product, nor is it a security, does not meet the definition of a security, does not involve advertising or speculation, and is entirely based on voluntary actions, defining it as the 'opposite of a security'. I will use the money earned to purchase tokens and then destroy those tokens. He also mentioned that when the death switch (DMS) is triggered, his relatives will receive relevant instructions and funds. This mechanism is designed to permanently lock the tokens on the blockchain, symbolizing an 'eternal grave in cyberspace'.

Jeffy Yu openly expressed his strong aversion to money. He wrote, "I hate money. Money has never made me happy and will never make you happy." He sees Legacoin as a kind of "burning ritual," a tangible manifestation of his hatred for money. Jeffy Yu also defines it as a form of "interactive performance art," a "living digital painting" co-created by human souls from around the world, forever unfinished and eternally being drawn.

At the same time, Jeffy Yu also stated: "Once I became a bit wealthy and a bit famous online, everything meaningful collapsed—friends, family, romantic relationships, co-founders. Everything became no longer pure."

The emergence of this article has made the events increasingly confusing. Meanwhile, the LLJEFFY token has surged significantly, with its market capitalization briefly exceeding 30 million dollars.

Act Four: The Truth Revealed? The Fake Death Causes an Uproar

Crypto KOL Irene Zhao stated, "I just asked an insider, and he said Jeff (Zerebro developer Jeffy Yu) is playing dead. Alright, everyone disperse."

Subsequently, DeFi developer Daniele exposed that the founder of Zerebro had the entire community mourning by creating false obituary information. However, a recently leaked letter shows that this was a carefully planned "fake death exit" scheme. The founder of Zerebro admitted in the letter that this was the only way for him to escape from ongoing harassment, extortion, and threats.

Jeffy Yu wrote in the letter, "From February to March, I have long suffered harassment and telecommunications fraud from an ex-partner. Now, I am being targeted again by another person who is implementing extortion. I continue to be a target of online hate crimes, including frequent public exposure of my personal address and phone number, which severely endangers my personal safety. These actions are also mixed with various hate speech targeting my race, gender identity, and personal achievements."

Jeffy Yu admitted, "If I publicly announce my resignation, the prices of ZEREBRO and OPAUM tokens will plummet, leading to more serious consequences. When our token price dropped over 90% in January this year, I already faced more hostility. If I choose to retire, it will only further trigger a manhunt and even potential personal attacks, as investors will suffer losses due to the project's failure. Once I disappear from the platform and community's view, my safety will be greatly ensured, and I will also be free from extortion."

Jeffy Yu claims that in the future his career will be entirely focused on music creation and will be conducted anonymously, solely in pursuit of safety, peace, and creative freedom.

Of course, Jeffy Yu has informed family and friends of the truth and expressed willingness to cooperate with law enforcement in any necessary way, while shutting down all social media accounts to cut off contact with the community. Jeffy Yu also stated, "I did not profit from this matter; on the contrary, I paid high legal fees and related costs for this planned exit."

On the same day, Legacy allegedly deleted the death announcement of Zerebro co-founder Jeffy Yu, and the relevant link has no information, which may further corroborate the claim of "faked death."

After serious doubts about Jeffy Yu's integrity in the crypto community, LLJEFFY quickly fell back, dropping to around 2.5 million dollars, and has now rebounded to 5.6 million dollars.

In addition, according to monitoring by Lookonchain, a wallet possibly related to Jeffy Yu sold 35.55 million ZEREBRO earlier on May 7, obtaining 8,572 SOL (approximately 1.27 million USD), and then transferred 7,100 SOL (approximately 1.06 million USD) to the LLJEFFY developer wallet (address starting with G5sjgj).

Act Five: The Anger and Doubts of the Crypto Community

The "death hoax" incident involving Jeffy Yu not only severely damaged the reputation of the Zerebro project but also filled the future of the LLJEFFY token with uncertainty.

The reaction of the crypto community to this event is complex and intense. On one hand, many are outraged by Jeffy Yu's actions, believing he is evading responsibility by deceiving the community's feelings and may even be taking the opportunity to cash out for profit. On the other hand, there is a small portion of community users who express sympathy for Jeffy Yu's plight and call for the community to reflect on the dangers of online violence.

At the same time, Jeffy Yu's actions have sparked discussions about the responsibilities of project founders. By "faking his death" to escape pressure, he may have indeed protected himself and his family, but he also harmed the investors and community members who trusted him. While the anonymity and decentralization of cryptocurrency grant freedom for innovation, they also provide fertile ground for irresponsible behavior.

I noticed that Jeffy Yu previously announced that Zerebro's new album will be released at the end of May, and hinted at a possible collaboration with Kanye West. Kanye West is a controversial musician who has frequently made headlines in recent years due to his musical works and erratic personal behavior. Some community users couldn't help but question whether this is a tactic to hype the new project? @nanostrategies raised the question, "How to explain the Kanye-like behavior exhibited by Jeffy Yu? The most credible reason is to attract attention before Jeffy promotes his next music project."

Team Infighting: The two co-founders of Zerebro go from side by side to strangers

Zerebro was co-founded by Jeffy Yu and Tint. Tint previously pointed out that Blorm is the parent company of Zerebro, Blormmy (Solana AiFi agent), and opaium (AI music record company).

As previously mentioned, Jeffy Yu stated in a suspected timed article, "Once I become a little rich and a little famous online, everything meaningful collapses - friends, family, romantic relationships, co-founders." The "co-founders" here may refer to Tint, implying that the relationship between the two has long been tense.

According to the author's observation, Tint and Jeffy Yu had already parted ways earlier. After the "fake death" incident involving Jeffy Yu, Blorm publicly clarified that Tint and Jeffy Yu would focus on their respective projects. Jeffy will no longer participate in the Blorm or Blormmy projects; Tint will also no longer participate in Zerebro-related projects or any other projects led by Jeffy or his affiliates, but will continue to independently focus on the ongoing development of the Blorm and Blormmy ecosystem.

Summary

The "death hoax" incident involving Jeffy Yu is like a prism, refracting the complex ecology of the crypto community. For him personally, this may be the beginning of breaking free from difficulties and regaining freedom; but for the entire crypto community, it is a heavy warning bell. It reminds people that in the pursuit of innovation and wealth, one must face the complexity of human nature, the importance of responsibility, and the urgency of establishing a healthy community ecosystem. The aftershocks of this incident will continue to resonate in the crypto world.

Although the authenticity of the letter exposed by Daniele is relatively high, in the chaotic fog of the crypto world, the truth may always retain a hint of suspense.