Tyler “sym” Porter, an esports player who represented team TSM in Valorant games, passed away on May 5 following a tragic accident that claimed the life of his close friend, Austen. Tyler’s age at the time of death was 21. He was celebrating his birthday when he met his untimely demise.
The news came from a close friend who posted on X. “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,” the post read. “Tyler was celebrating his 21st birthday trip.”
He began participating in Valorant tournaments in 2020, being recognized as one of the promising North American tier two players.
Sym showed his best results while playing with TSM. Before joining TSM as a professional, he used to play with their academy team. In 2024, Tyler joined TSM’s main roster, helping the team qualify for the VCT Ascension Americas tournament. Tyler won Group Stage Day 1 MVP for VCT Ascension Americas 2024.
Before joining TSM, sym represented Moist Moguls. This team was ranked first in Valorant Challengers 2023 North America Split 2. At one point, Sym left his career as a professional player but decided to return in 2026 as a temporary stand-in for Winthrop University. Tyler’s close friend and fellow player, Austen Reed, used his Valorant in-game nickname “yuno.”
Leo Faria, Global Head of Valorant Esports at Riot Games, also posted a message. “My condolences to Tyler’s family and friends,” he wrote. “This tragedy is a stark reminder of how fragile life is. Take care of yourselves, be good to each other, and hold your loved ones close today.”
Fans also shared memories on Reddit. One pointed to sym’s performance in a match where he recorded 32 first bloods across 61 rounds in a best-of-three against YFP. Another wrote: “He was such a promising up-and-comer in Tier 2, was rooting for him so much to succeed. Gutted to hear him pass away at such a young age.”
