VALORANT esports pro Daveeys dies just a day after his 23rd birthday
Daveeys had been a pro player since 2020, most recently playing with KRÜ Esports and helping them earn a spot in the recently-concluded VALORANT Champions.
Santiago "Daveeys" Ruiz, a Colombian VALORANT professional player for Argentinian organisation KRÜ Esports, died at 23-years old on Sunday (3 September).
KRÜ Esports announced Daveeys' death on Monday due to decompensation, the failure of an organ to compensate for the functional overload resulting from disease.
Daveeys' untimely passing also came just a day after his 23rd birthday on Saturday.
Daveeys started this pro VALORANT career in September 2020 with LazerKlan before getting his big break with Infinity in March 2021, helping the squad rise up the ranks of the highly-competitive Latin American region of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT).
Daveeys joined KRÜ Esports in October 2022, helping the team become one of the best squads in the Americas and participating in VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo and the VCT 2023: Americas League.
In July, Daveeys was instrumental in KRÜ Esports winning the VCT 2023: Americas Last Chance Qualifier to earn the team a spot in the recently-concluded VALORANT Champions 2023.
In VALORANT Champions, Daveeys and KRÜ Esports finished in 13th-16th place.
"There is no way to smooth this over, it took us all by surprise. Daveeys, Santi, was a spectacular player and a first class teammate. With his trademark hard-working humility, he was proud to be able to inspire and represent his country and region at the top of the global VALORANT. It was his dream, and he saw it come true," a translation of KRÜ Esports' statement on Daveeys' death read.
VALORANT developer Riot Games also offered their condolences to Daveeys' family and friends in an official statement.
"Our players are the dreams they share with the world, the communities they represent, and the inspiration that accompanies what we do every single day. From Riot Games, we say goodbye to Santiago "Daveeys" Galvis and send our condolences to all his family, friends, and teammates at KRÜ. His legacy will always be remembered," said Riot.
