Lil Jon paid tribute to his son, Nathan Murray Smith, as he laid him to rest two weeks after his death.
âOn the first day of Ramadan yesterday, We laid my only son to rest,â the rapper wrote alongside a montage of photos from Nathanâs life on Thursday.
âIn this holy month, Iâm asking for extra duâa for him and for our family. Please pray that Allah grants him Jannah and grants us sabr, mercy, and strength. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiâun.â
He continued, âI love you, son. Life will never be the same without you. Allah, give me strength.
Lil Jon â whose real name is Jonathan Smith â also thanked those who had âreached out with condolences, love, and prayersâ following Nathanâs death at the age of 27.
âI will make sure the world knows your talent and never forgets your name,â the rapper concluded the tribute on Thursday.
Followers of the hip hop icon, 55, expressed their sympathies in the comments thread. âSending you so much love đïžâ one person wrote, while another remarked, âWeâre here for you brethrenâ€ïžâ
A third wrote, âThis is too heartbreaking for words. May Allah guide you through this difficult journey. đ«¶đ»đđ»â
Prior to his death, the son of Lil Jon and estranged wife Nicole Smith was declared missing by the Milton Police Department in Georgia earlier this month.
âThe family is asking for privacy at this time,â the rapperâs rep told Page Six on Feb. 4. âWe are also asking for continued prayers for Nathan to come home safe.â
Two days later, on Feb. 6, Lil Jon confirmed his sonâs death after Nathanâs body was found in a Georgia pond.
âI am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith,â he told us in a statement. âHis mother and I are devastated.â
âNathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet. He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate and warmhearted â he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest.â
The statement continued, âHe was an amazingly talented young man; a music producer, an artist and engineer, and a graduate of NYU.â
âWe loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him. He was loved and appreciated, and in our last times together, weâre comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him.â
The competitive bodybuilder concluded the statement, âThank you for all of the prayers and support in trying to locate him over the last several days.â
Via social media, he shared a photo of himself sleeping with an infant Nathan, captioning the upload, âTHIS HURTS SO BAD. đ I LOVE YOU SON.â
The Milton PD confirmed Nathanâs death â and an ongoing investigation into the tragedy â in a memo the same day.
âBased on the investigation to date, there is no indication of foul play. However, the Milton Police Department Criminal Investigations Division will continue to treat this as an open and active investigation,â it read. âWe extend our deepest condolences to the Smith family during this difficult time.â
Lil Jon and Nicole welcomed their only son in 1998, and separated amicably in 2022. The rapper has since welcomed daughter Nahara with girlfriend Jamila Sozahdah in 2024.
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