Grief is arguably the most difficult process you could ever go through in your life. Love and loss mix together in a horrible ache that they’re no longer with us. But it can also be a beautiful remembrance of the life they led and the memories created together. This process can be especially turbulent when you lose a parent, spouse, or child. The depth of unconditional love makes grieving even more difficult.
Lil Jon, unfortunately, knows this too well. Back in February 2026, he lost his son, Nathan Smith, also known as Young Slade, at 27 years old. At the time, there was no sign of foul play, but he had left the house under “unusual circumstances.” According to Atlanta News First, the cause of death was drowning while under the influence of psilocybin in various hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Now, months later, the Atlanta legend caught up with TMZ to candidly talk about the grieving process. He told the outlet about recently finishing his memoir. But the death of his son made him add more to the book, helping him grapple with the pain of losing a child. In doing so, he hopes he can connect with other people who have to deal with such grief in the future.
Lil Jon Explains How Writing His Book Helped Him Grieve The Loss of His Son
“I look at it like me telling my story and what I’m going through could help someone else to get through it because I’m not alone,” he explained. “That’s one thing that helped me get through it, too. So many people reaching out and sending me prayers and love and then also other celebrities reaching out that have experienced loss and similar loss giving me the opportunity to speak with them if I needed to.
“I just felt like I needed to be able to express everything that I was going through so somebody else out there that’s going through it can see that they can get through it as well,” Lil Jon continued. “God was preparing me for everything that was starting to happen or getting me ready for it, so he got me in a different mindset so I could deal with the loss the way I dealt with it and not spiral.”
Lil Jon is slated to release his memoir, I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me, chronicling his life and career on October 20, 2026.
The post Lil Jon Candidly Talks About How Next Career Move Has Helped Him Grieve the Tragic Loss of His Son appeared first on VICE.
