(StraightNews.org) – Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. has announced his son’s suicide. Writing on Instagram to more than 950,000 followers, Jones said that his 32-year-old youngest son, DeAndre, had taken his own life on June 22. He thanked God that his son spent his final night with his family. The boxer wrote that he understands the dark phases people often go through but said nothing is worth taking our own lives. “God gives it, and God should be the one to take it away,” he wrote.
Born in 1992, DeAndre is one of three sons Mr. Jones shares with his wife Natlyn. Authorities have not explained how he took his life, and no other details have yet been made public.
One of the more controversial fighters in professional boxing, Jones has won world titles in four different weight categories and attracted criticism for refusing to hang up his gloves and retire. The 55-year-old competed against Anthony Pettis in Milwaukee last year, losing via majority decision after eight rounds. In 2020, he faced off against fellow boxing legend Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout in Los Angeles that generated $80 million and ended in a split draw.
Mr. Jones has previously spoken of his relationship with his father, which he described as violent and abusive and which drove him to consider suicide numerous times. Roy Jones Sr. was a Vietnam War veteran and Bronze Star recipient who competed as a middleweight competitor and club fighter. Jones Jr. once said of his father, “I was in pain all day, every day, I was so scared.”
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, and a further 1.6 million attempted to do so. Men are three times more likely to kill themselves than women, and white males account for almost 70% of victims. Most people in the US take their own lives with firearms.
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