The North American Valorant community has paid tribute to Tyler ‘sym’ Porter following a fatal car accident, which took the 21-year-old’s life and the life of the player’s friend, Austen, who was also in the vehicle.
The news was shared in a post by a friend of the player following the fatal accident on May 4th, three days after sym’s 21st Birthday.
Tributes paid to Valorant star after passing
The post stated, “With a broken heart I write this message to everyone that sadly my best friend @symstar and our good friend Austen sadly passed away late last night in a car accident.
“Tyler was celebrating his 21st birthday trip. I know he brought laughs and smiles to a lot of people and If any you have a nice memory or interaction with him please feel free to share it.
“Attached are a few photos of them I hope you might say a prayer for both of them may they both rest in peace.”
The news prompted a post from the player’s former organization, TSM, which stated, “From elevating our Academy program to helping us reach Ascension on the main roster, you left your mark on TSM VALORANT.
“You had so much ahead of you, and we’ll miss you dearly, @symstar. May you and Austen rest in peace.”
sym was best known for his time in TSM, graduating from TSM Academy before taking part in Valorant Challengers League in 2023 as part of Mois Moguls, returning to TSM to compete in VCL for his parent team in 2024 and 2025.
With sym, TSM made Ascension 2024, but failed to qualify for VCT Americas after a 1-4 Group Stage campaign.
The news of his passing prompted hundreds of tributes from the Valorant community, such as Winthrop player Peter ‘Governor’ No, who shared, “Tyler was one of the first people I met in this game that I could call my friend and was always a fun person to be around.
I remember all the LANS we used to go to and the countless hours we’d play val and other variety games. Those were some of the happiest years of my life.”
G2’s Josh ‘JoshRT’ Lee, Fnatic’s Austin ‘crashies’ Roberts, and Shopify Rebellion Gold’s Melanie ‘meL’ Capone were amongst those who shared their condolences.
Shopify Rebellion’s smoke shared the following tribute, saying, “Tyler was one of the most genuine people I’ve met in this scene, and I truly can’t put into words how much he helped me both personally and professionally.”
To discuss anything gaming or esports-related, join our Discord.
For more news, see our VCT EMEA Stage 1 playoff preview.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
More from Darragh Harbinson
Comments