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NEED TO KNOW
Lil Jon's son, Nathan Smith, was found dead on Friday, Feb. 6, just days after he was reported missing from his home
Smith, 27, had praised the rapper for "always" being there as his father in an interview almost a year before his death
"I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother [Nicole] and I are devastated," Lil Jon said in a statement to PEOPLE following his son's death
Lil Jon's late son, Nathan Smith, spoke highly of the rapper in an interview just months before his death.
SinceSmith, 27, was found deadon Friday, Feb. 6, a clip from an interview he did with the nonprofit organization360 Baselineback in March 2025, has resurfaced on Instagram. He praised Lil Jon for "always showing up" as his father throughout the years while discussing their close relationship.
When asked how having his dad "active" in his life had impacted him, Smith responded, "I mean, to be honest, my dad was the type who never made me, or put me in a place where I had to think about any of that, because he was always there."
"He was always showing up for my birthdays, even if he had to perform somewhere, he would turn it down and come be with me...," Smith continued. "Just having him and just him letting me know he's there, whether it was music [or] watching a movie at the end of the day … you don't really have to worry too much about that."
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Smith is Lil Jon's firstchild, shared with his estranged wifeNicole Smith. The rapperannounced their splitin February 2024.
The Milton Police Department revealed thatSmith was missing on Feb. 3, after he was seen leaving his home without his phone in Milton, Ga. On Friday, Feb. 6, the policeannouncedthat a body, believed to be that of Smith's, had been recovered from a pond "in Mayfield Park near Smith's Milton residence."
"On Feb. 6, at approximately 11:53 a.m., divers with the Cherokee County Fire Department located and recovered a body from the pond," the MPD said on Facebook. "The individual is believed to be Nathan Smith, pending official confirmation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office."
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There was "no indication of foul play," surrounding the death, the police confirmed.
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Lil Jonn said in a statement toPEOPLEfollowing the announcement of his son's death, he was "heartbroken" at the tragic news.
"I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother [Nicole] and I are devastated," said the rapper. "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."
Smith was following the footsteps of his dad, as a music producer and artist and was a graduate of New York University.
"We loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him. He was loved and appreciated, and in our last times together we're comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him," Lil Jon added.
Read the original article onPeople
