The esports community mourns the loss of Valorant pro Twisten (Vitality), who passed away on June 6th at the age of 19.
Who was Twisten? Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener was a Czech esports player in Riot’s shooter Valorant. At the age of 17 he joined the German organization BIG. Since November 2022 he has played for the French team Vitality. With Vitality he celebrated his international debut at the VCT LOCK//IN in São Paulo in February 2023.
Twisten had already caused a stir before the tournament by announcing that he would donate €25 for every kill with the Shorty, a short, sawed-off shotgun. He donated a total of €1450 for the 58 shorty frags at the LOCK//IN. The money went to the animal welfare organization Dog Rescue Europe.
Team Vitality talks about the importance of mental health
On June 7, Team Vitality announced the young player’s death on Twitter. The statement said Twisten passed away last night: “We are deeply saddened by this devastating loss.”
An official cause of death has not been announced at this time. However, Team Vitality points to the importance of mental health in esports and in life.
You can find further offers of help on the homepage of the German Society for Suicide Prevention.
Global suicide prevention hotlines can be found here (via WhatsApp).
Twisten was late for the subsequent press conference in February after his team was eliminated from the LOCK//IN against Leviatán because the defeat was difficult for him. The 19-year-old also admitted to suffering from depression for 2 years.
Harry “Gorilla” Mepham, assistant coach at Vitality, wrote on June 7 that he woke up to the news that one of his closest friends had taken his own life. He adds that Twisten was like a brother to him. Words could not describe the sadness and emptiness he feels.
Esports professionals want to honor Twisten in a special way
Many people have already expressed their sadness at Twisten’s death on Twitter, be it teammates and friends or fans. Vitality’s in-game leader Santeri “BONECOLD” Sassi called Twisten the “most sincere person I’ve ever met.”
Michał “MOLSI” Łącki said they lost a “teammate, friend and brother”. Tomas “Destrian” Linikas writes that he is a “man of infinite potential, a crazy personality and most of all the biggest heart that made those around him feel good.”
This is how other e-athletes want to honor him: YouTuber and Valorant analyst RyanCentral suggested continuing Twisten’s fundraiser for shorty kills at international events.
Team Liquid streamer and ex-coach Connor “Sliggy” Blomfield responded to the suggestion by promising to donate €25 for every shorty kill at the VCT Masters Tokyo and Champions 2023. Numerous other professionals followed the call.
Shopify Rebellion’s Anthony “vanity” Malaspina also pledged $25 for every shorty frag in the tournaments. The money will go to a non-profit mental health organization.
Marco Mereu, the CEO of M80, said his organization was in, but upped the amount to $100 for each shorty kill. He also included upcoming Ascension tournaments (via Twitter).
After numerous other esports personalities announced their participation in the promotion, RyanCentral wrote on the morning of June 8th CET that he was working on a website for the “Twisten Shorty Drive”. He’s hoping to be operational in time for the start of the Masters in Tokyo on June 11 (via Twitter).