(RepublicanView.org) – Boxer Roy Jones Jr. announced his son’s death on social media and said he thanked God he was able to spend one last night with him. Writing on Instagram, Jones told more than 950,000 followers that his 32-year-old son DeAndre ended his own life on June 22 but spent the evening before with his father and other family members. The legendary boxer explained that he knows people go through dark periods, but nothing was worth taking our own lives. He added, “God gives it, and God should be the one to take it away.”
Born in 1992, DeAndre was Jones’ youngest son and one of three he shared with wife Natlyn. Authorities have not explained how he took his life, and no other details have yet been made public.
A former four-weight world champion, Jones is considered one of the greatest boxers in history and a controversial one. The 55-year-old is regularly scrutinized and criticized for refusing to retire from the sport. In 2020, he fought fellow legend Mike Tyson in an exhibition fight, and last year, he fought Anthony Pettis in Milwaukee, losing via majority decision after eight rounds.
The Jones family is steeped in boxing tradition. Roy Jones Sr., a Vietnam War veteran who was awarded a Bronze Star for valor when he rescued a fellow soldier, was a middleweight competitor and club fighter. Jones Jr. has reportedly described his relationship with his father and said he was terrified of him due to his verbal and physical abuse. “I was in pain all day, every day, I was so scared of my father,” he said, adding that he had considered taking his own life several times to escape his father’s wrath.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 11th most common cause of death in the United States. In 2022, 49,476 Americans took their own lives.
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