KRÜ Esports made the sad announcement on September 4th that Santiago “Daveeys” Ruiz, a talented VALORANT pro player, passed away the day before.
Regrettably, Ruiz died one day after his 23rd birthday, on Sunday. Since October 2022, he had been a part of the KRÜ team playing professional grade VALORANT. His contribution in July’s VCT Americas Last Chance Qualifier helped earn KRÜ a place in the VALORANT Champions in August.
As per KRÜ’s official statement, “Post a medical emergency on Sunday, we lost Daveeys. It was unexpected and has deeply saddened all of us. Daveeys was not just an extraordinary player but also an excellent teammate. His modesty, dedication, and pride in representing his country and region in global VALORANT were simply admirable.”
The statement by KRÜ concluded with a plea to the community to support Daveeys’ friends and family in these trying times. His obsequies will take place in Colombia on Tuesday, Sep. 5 and fans are invited to join and bid their final farewell.
The unexpected passing of Ruiz has led to sever responses from top VALORANT teams and players.
VCT broadcaster Pablo “xrm” Oliveira mentioned, “One of the most humble and amazing guys I had the pleasure to know. My heart goes out to his family and friends…” and Nicolas “Klaus” Ferrari, a co-player from Daveeys’ KRÜ team said, “…you were always there to lift my spirits, you will remain a friend, no matter where you are, love you buddy.”
The VCT scene has been hit hard with yet another tragic incident; earlier this year, Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrene, a previous Vitality player, passed away in June.
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