On December 30th, it was reported that VALORANT pro player, Lara ‘Larischz’ Gilardoni, had passed away while vacationing in her home country of Argentina. At present, the cause of her death is unknown, and it comes as a massive blow to the female VALORANT community, given how inspiring a player Larischz was within the Game Changers ecosystem. It was just a day before her passing that Larischz was competing, scoring a win at the Esportsmaker Spike Ladies tournament.
Truly A Game Changer
Since it was announced more than a year ago, the VALORANT Game Changers ecosystem has worked to elevate the role of the female gamer in the esports industry. Toward the tail-end of 2022, the Game Changers Championship went live, pulling in unprecedented levels of viewership for a tournament of its kind and going hand-in-hand with a $500,000 prize pool.
By all accounts, Larischz was a ferocious contender, representing the LATAM community to the full extent of her ability. Before she passed, Larischz flew the DELIRA Female banner, and in the final tournament that she played, which wrapped up just one day before her death, she was reportedly instrumental in the team’s victory.
Since 2021, Larischz enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks in Brazil’s VALORANT scene, proving herself to be a dominant competitor. She enjoyed playing with a varied skillset, assuming the talents of agents such as Brimstone, Cypher, Omen, and Killjoy. In a clip uploaded to Twitter, Larischz’s intensity and skill were perfectly portrayed:
In her final tweet, Larischz simply wrote ‘Sera?’, in the run-up to the final matches of her last tournament. When translated, the term roughly means ‘it will be?’ In the hours following her passing, friends, family, and fellow competitors took to the airwaves in an outpouring of emotion, love, and appreciation for the fallen player. One fan simply wrote (translated):
‘Rest in peace Lari, you always transmitted a beautiful aura and energy to us. Thank you very much for everything, I swear I will always remember you‘.
Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of Lara ‘Larischz’ Gilardoni.
