A 21-year-old Canadian TikTok influencer from Toronto is dead after a tragic skydiving accident.
via People:
On Aug. 27th, Tanya Pardazi was skydiving at Skydive Toronto when she fell to her death.
The skydiving facility said in a statement via Facebook that “The skydiver released a quickly rotating main parachute at a low altitude without the time/altitude required for the reserve parachute to inflate.”
Though it did not name the skydiver, she has since been identified as Pardazi, a philosophy student at the University of Toronto, per CTV. Pardazi was also a TikTok influencer with more than 95,000 followers.
She had just finished her solo class at Skydive Toronto, and the fatal fall marked the first time she jumped alone, according to CTV.
“She really lived every second to the fullest,” her friend Melody Ozgoli told the outlet. “This is the biggest shock to us. It’s very hard to process. It’s been a couple of days, but we still don’t even believe it.”
Kimia Sepanlou, another friend, called Pardazi “one of the bravest girls. Whenever we saw her, we knew we were in for an adventure because she didn’t like letting herself, or the people closest to her, get bored. Everyone who met her thought the world of her.”
Pardazi was also once a semi-finalist for a Miss Canada competition, her friends told CTV.
Skydive Toronto added in its statement, “The jumper was a welcomed recent addition to the skydiving community and will be missed amongst the student’s new friends and fellow jumpers of Skydive Toronto Inc. The team at Skydive Toronto Inc has been profoundly affected by this accident as they have refined their student training program for over 50 years.”
The facility said it is cooperating with the South Simcoe Police Service’s investigation.
Skydive Toronto did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The South Simcoe Police Service confirmed the incident in a release shared Sunday.
The University of Toronto Scarborough cheerleading team also paid tribute to the late social media star and shared a photo of her enjoying a vacation in Paris.
“Forever part of our team and in our hearts, Tanya Pardazi was one in a million,” the caption reads.
Tributes also poured in on Pardazi’s Instagram page.
Under a pinned post shared in 2019, one friend wrote, “Rest in peace sweet girl?? I’m so thankful I got the meet you! I’m saddened that the world has lost such a beautiful soul. You were one of a kind. Fly high?” as another added, “You were truly one of the realest and sweetest souls I’ve ever come across. Thinking of you T. Rest in Paradise??”
Another loved one commented, “My sweet Tanya oh how wise you were beyond your age and how much of an impact you had on others. My heart aches everyday not having you around. I love you and I’m thinking of you always sweet girl! ??”
So sad. Our hearts go out to her family and friends.
