7 July 2023, a day that took a heavy toll on the global esports community, and Team Vitality, particularly as their uprising Valorant player, Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener, is no longer with us.
This sad news of the 19-year-old’s demise surprised the fans when the French Esports organization, Team Vitality, tweeted about this unfortunate loss. Later on, the team assistant coach, Harry ‘Gorrila’ Mepham, confirmed the cause of death as suicide.
The Czech player joined Team Vitality’s Valorant rooster as a dualist in November 2022 and has ever since proved irreplaceable through this jaw-dropping performance.
The 19-year-old rising star no doubt had a bright future ahead as he boasts a worldwide fan following with his talent. Let’s dive deeper, and here’s everything we know about it.
Team Vitality mourns over Karel Twisten’s tragic demise
Through the tweet, Team Vitality mentioned how devasted the team is post-hearing about this sad news. Moreover, they also expressed their thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.
Rest in Peace Karel ❤️ pic.twitter.com/F3JjY9aCef
— Team Vitality 🐝 (@TeamVitality) June 7, 2023
The team stated, “We are heartbroken to share with you that our VALORANT player Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener passed away last night.” Further, they added, “The whole team vitality organization is devastated by this news, and we will be stopping all communications for the rest of the day.”
Moments after Team Vitality’s tweet, the team’s assistant coach, Harry also tweeted, confirming Karel’s death as a suicide.
I woke up this morning to the news of one of my closest friends, someone who genuinely felt as if he was my brother, taking his own life. Words can not describe the grief or emptiness i’m feeling right now. I loved him and forever will.
I’ll leave this with a quote from his… https://t.co/5oO7IlUqTl
— Vitality Gorilla (@gorillaVL) June 7, 2023
Harry Gorilla said, “I woke up this morning to the news of one of my closest friends, someone who genuinely felt as if he was my brother, taking his own life.”
Karel battling depression and Team Vitality’s message on mental health
It would be next to impossible for any of us to predict that Karel would make such a difficult choice, even though he opened up about his mental health problem back in February 2023.
It was the first time he talked openly to the world about his battle with depression. In fact, Karel was also hospitalized for a while because of a self-harming accident, after which he said he felt much better.
In order to address mental health, Team Vitality tweeted about its importance in one’s life, along with the link to Mental Health Europe’s official website.
Mental health undeniably plays a significant role in one’s well-being, and let’s hope no one goes through what Karel went through. This unfortunate news has indeed left millions of fans heartbroken. RIP Karel. Our deepest condolences to his family, who must be going through a difficult time.
