A 30-year-old former Louisville Cardinals cheerleader and 10-time national champion was discovered dead over the weekend.
According to family members and former teammates, Eric Ortiz passed away unexpectedly over the weekend from undetermined circumstances.
GymTime All Stars paid tribute to the “captivating” and “genuine” athlete and friend by informing their thousands of fans of his passing on Monday.
The Louisville Cardinals were planning to invite back past students for homecoming weekend, when previous cheerleaders would perform with members of the current squad.
‘This weekend was supposed to be like any other Homecoming weekend here in Louisville,’ officials wrote. ‘This Homecoming weekend turned out to be one none of us expected.’
In the article that praised the enormous skill Eric provided to the squad, the group said that he was “called home.”
‘Eric Ortiz was a force when he joined our program. He could stunt, tumble, jump, dance, and perform with some of the greatest athletes that have ever stepped a shoe onto a cheer floor. He was captivating as an athlete. He could do it all and that he did. He was a leader at practice and on the competition floor.’
Soon after the news of his passing spread, tributes from friends, family members, old teammates, and even people he did not know but were impacted by his influence on the cheerleading world started to come in.
One of the saddest messages came from Gabi Butler, the star of Netflix’s “CHEER,” who posted a number of pictures with Eric on Instagram on Monday.
‘My heart is completely torn into a million pieces,’ Butler wrote. ‘The thought of not being able to hear your laugh or see that beautiful smile shatters me.’
‘I wish I could have given you more, because you gave so many people so much of yourself. You walked into a room and it lit up with this bright light. You were full of joy, laughter, happiness, light and love.
‘From the very moment I saw you, I knew you were special. You walked over to me with the biggest smile on your face and said “Hi I’m Eric, I’m your new base… can I throw you?” and I knew from that point on that we were going to click and be best friends.
‘The memories that we have shared are ones that a lot of people don’t get to share because they were so special. You were such a unique/ old soul and all I can say now is I will always and forever love you with every part of me. You were too good of a person and now you were called to go home
‘Your memory will live with me forever and I want to thank you for making me feel like I was invincible because you always made me feel like I was on top of the world. I love you with all my heart and soul Eric… rest easy my angel, you will always be missed and in my heart.’
