ORLANDO, Fla. – “A star,” “gentle giant,” “respectful” and “teddy bear” are just some of the many words that friends and family have used to describe Tyre Sampson.
The 14-year-old from Missouri died on March 24, 2022, when he fell from the Orlando FreeFall drop tower attraction at ICON Park while visiting on spring break.
Recommended Videos
He slipped out of his seat about halfway down the Orlando FreeFall. A trial started on Thursday in connection to the wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family against the ride’s operator.
Sampson is survived by his parents, Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson. Both have spoken throughout the years about how incredible their son was.
“He would have been 15 years old. He was born Aug. 17, 2007. When he was born, he was a star to me. He always will be a star,” his father said.
(PREVIOUS COVERAGE, STORY CONTINUES BELOW)
Sampson played football in middle school and Yarnell told CBS St. Louis affiliate KMOV he could see his son pursuing his dreams of becoming a pro football player – even giving him the nickname “Big Tick.”
“He was the next big ticket. He was the next big thing out (of) the Lou,” Yarnell told KMOV. “He was a promising young man, I could not ask for a better son.”
The boy’s mother previously told News 6 that Tyre was her personal teddy bear and a gentle giant. She also said he was a go-getter and a loving young man.
Other family members, such as his cousin Damon Cotton, remember Tyre’s impact on many in the community.
“You can see the influence at age 14 that this young man had. We called (him) a gentle giant, and he truly has the support of the community all over this area,” Cotton said.
His friend, Kameron Smith, also said that Tyre was so helpful on and off the field.
“He would help me when I was at practice. If something was wrong, he would help me with it and try to fix it. If I messed up, he would try to encourage me to do better on the next play,” Smith said.
All in all, Tyre’s legacy lives on in many ways — from the law named after him and dedicated to attraction safety, to the county he lived in passing a resolution honoring him, to his mother’s foundation supporting schools.
“I have created a Tyre Sampson Foundation. My goal with that is to support any school athletic program because he was definitely headed toward football,” Dodd said.
[TIMELINE: What happened after boy fell to his death from Orlando FreeFall ride]
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: