Lil Jon has confirmed the death of his son, Nathan Smith, before mourning his tremendous loss on social media.
“This hurts so bad,” the rapper wrote on Instagram.
According to the Milton, GA Police Department, a body believed to be DJ Young Slade, the son of Lil Jon, has been found.
Nathan Smith, 27, professionally known as DJ Young Slade, was reported missing on Feb. 3. At the time, local law enforcement released a statement saying, “[Smith] ran out of his house and has been missing since.”
On Thursday, the Cherokee County Fire Department confirmed that a body was recovered from a pond in Georgia and is believed to be Smith. Authorities have not indicated any signs of foul play.
Following the reports, Lil Jon released a statement confirming the untimely passing of his son.
“I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother, Nicole Smith, and I are devastated. Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet. He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted – he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest,” read Jon’s statement, shared on social media.
The Atlanta Crunk legend also spoke about his pride in his son’s accomplishments.
“He was an. amazingly talented young man, a music producer, an artist, an engineer, and graduate of NYU,” he added.
Lil Jon ended his statement by thanking those who assisted in the search efforts:
“Thank you for all of the prayers and support in trying to locate him over the last several days. Thank you to the entire Milton Police Department involved.”
The Fulton County Medical Examiner will provide confirmation and determine the cause of death.
This story is developing.
