Lee Macmillan, a popular van-life influencer, has died

• Van-life influencer Lee Macmillan died by suicide on Friday.
• Her death was announced on her Instagram, as well as the account she shared with her ex-partner.
• Macmillan's loved ones shared that she had been "fighting a brave battle with depression."

Lee Macmillan, a Canadian van-life influencer, has died at 28 years old.

Macmillan died by suicide on Friday. The news of her death was announced with identical posts on Macmillan's personal Instagram account and on the account she shared with her ex-partner Max Bidstrup on Wednesday.

"After living an extraordinary life, and fighting a brave battle with depression, our hearts are shattered to share that Lee took her life on Friday," the post read. "She was the brightest light, a magnetic force of nature and was loved by so so many."

A post shared by Max & Lee + Occy | Vanlife (@maxandlee_)

"If we can do one thing for Lee now, in the midst of this soul-crushing loss, it's to spread the message that mental health is just as real as physical health, and that illness can strike anyone, no matter how unlikely they may seem," the post went on to say. "It's OK to not be OK, it's OK to ask for help, it's absolutely necessary to ask for help."

The post also said that Macmillan, who was a mental health advocate, had been "receiving help" for her depression from her personal support systems and "professionals."

"She was not alone, she was not trying to fight this alone," the statement said. "And yet she still succumbed to this terrible illness. It is more nuanced than we can, or do, appreciate or understand."

"Life is more complex than a single social media post. Things are complicated. Don't believe what you see online," the post said. "Get out into the world and talk to your loved ones. Check in. Ask them genuinely how they're doing. Be available to help. To listen. To offer help. Remove the stigma of asking for help."

In addition, Macmillan's loved ones started the hashtag #speakupforlee to raise awareness about mental health.

Macmillan had been well-known in the van-life community since 2016

Macmillan became a van-life influencer after meeting Bidstrup in Canada in 2016, according to The Daily Mail.

The then-couple decided to travel together full-time, visiting 16 countries with their dog and amassing a large social media following. At the time of writing, the former couple's shared Instagram had over 70,000 followers while their YouTube account had nearly 500,000 subscribers.

Macmillan and Bidstrup broke up at the beginning of 2020, announcing their separation on Instagram. Their breakup post was the last post shared to the account until the news of Macmillan's death.

Bidstrup posted about Macmillan's death on his own Instagram account, writing: "You were the best thing to ever happen to me. You were the best person have I ever met."

A post shared by Max & Occy (@max_bids)

"I never stopped loving you," Bidstrup wrote. "I will always cherish my time with you in this world and hope beyond hope to see you in the next."

At the time of her death, Macmillan was in a relationship with Jordan Chiu. He also posted a tribute to his late partner on Wednesday.

"You were a dream beyond my wildest dreams," Chiu wrote. "You filled my heart up full to bursting and stretched it further than what I ever imagined was possible."

A post shared by jordan chiu (@jordanpchiu)

"You were my person, my partner, my best friend," Chiu wrote. "Every day with you was an adventure and I hope wherever you are you've found peace and snuggles. Rest easy puppy. I love you more than you will ever know."

Macmillan, Bidstrup, Chiu, and Lee and Bidstrup's shared Instagram account all have #speakupforlee in their bios at the time of writing.