Tanya Pardazi: who was TikTok star, how did she die - and cause of parachuting accident in Toronto explained

TikTok influencer Tanya Pardazi has died after a skydiving accident in Toronto.

The 21-year-old philosophy student got into difficulty during her first solo dive after completing a skydiving course with Skydive Toronto.

Pardazi, who had more than 100,000 followers on TikTok, was known for her videos on philosophy.

The influencer had previously reached the semi-finals of the Miss Canada contest.

Following her death tributes have poured in from friends and her university.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened to Tanya Pardazi.

Who is Tanya Pardazi?

Tanya Pardazi was a 21-year-old philosophy student at the University of Toronto.

The influencer had amassed a large following on TikTok, where she had more than 100,000 followers under her handle @philosatea.

Her videos included discussion on philosophy, her pet chameleon, art history and even ancient aliens.

She also did videos covering mysteries including the Dyatlov Pass incident in Russia.

Her last TikTok video on 22 August was on the topic of the Tetris effect and has nearly 900,000 views.

As well as being active online, Pardazi had competed in the Miss Canada pageant, making it to the semi-finals.

Despite having a huge following, she kept her personal life private and her relationship status is not known.

How did she die?

Pardazi died tragically on 27 August in a skydiving accident.

It was her first solo dive after completing a skydiving course with Skydive Toronto.

The school offers a one-day solo first jump course, which teaches “all of the fundamentals required to successfully complete your first skydive”.

Those who complete the one-day course will then complete their first solo skydive from 4,000 feet.

Skydive Toronto explains: “Dispatched by a Jumpmaster, you will exit the airplane attached to a static line, which automatically deploys your main parachute during a fall of up to 5 seconds.”

According to the skydive school, an unnamed student “released a quickly-rotating main parachute at a low altitude without the time or altitude required for the reserve parachute to inflate.”

What has Skydive Toronto said?

Skydive Toronto released a statement on Facebook confirming a 21-year-old student had died, but did not name Pardazi.

Their statement said a student had “released a quickly-rotating main parachute at a low altitude without the time or altitude required for the reserve parachute to inflate.

“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.”

Adding: “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.”

They also confirmed that they were currently working with South Simcoe Police whilst the investigation continues.

Who has paid tribute to her?

Tributes have poured in for the former Miss Canada contestant.

Speaking to CTV News Toronto her friend Melody Ozgoli said: “She really lived every second to the fullest.

“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.”

Whilst the University of Toronto cheerleading team paid tribute to the late TikTok influencer in a post on Instagram.

The caption read: “Forever part of our team and our hearts, Tanya Padazi was one in a million.”