A bachelorette celebration in St. Barts turned tragic for Jade Jones, the fiancée of Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, when one of her friends passed away shortly after her 26th birthday.
Jade Jones was on the Caribbean island enjoying pre-wedding festivities with close friends, celebrating her engagement to the two-time NBA All-Star. During the trip, on June 8, her friend Makenzi Kern unexpectedly suffered health complications and died, as reported by sources to TMZ.
According to the outlet, Kern’s family does not suspect any involvement of foul play, drugs, or alcohol in her passing.
The exact details surrounding Kern’s death have not been disclosed.
TMZ noted that Kern and Jones developed a close friendship while they were both cheerleaders at Iowa State University.
Jones posted several photos to Instagram on June 6, showing the group soaking up the sun on the beaches of St. Barts and enjoying a boat ride, with the caption “hopped on a flight to cloud 9.”
Kern had just turned 26 on the day the photos were posted — two days before her death.
Neither Haliburton nor Jones has publicly commented on the tragedy.
Kern’s family said that she died while “surrounded by her closest friends on a once in a lifetime trip to St. Barthelemy Island,” according to an online obituary.
“She loved boating with her dad, water skiing, and got to try out a seabob for the first time in St Barths. According to her friends, they had to drag her off because she loved it so much, evidence that she was having an amazing time,” her family wrote.
The 26-year-old Iowa native is remembered by her loved ones as someone who “lived life to the fullest” and “could brighten everyone’s spirits when she was around.”
Kern earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University in 2022 and was working as a Membership Director for a YMCA in Omaha at the time of her death.
“Kenz was dedicated to her job, her friends and her beloved pets; especially her cat Dusty. She never wanting to let anyone down or upset them,” her obituary said.
“So much so even as a child she would let all of the kids on the playground go down the slide first saying ‘you go first, I’ll get a turn later.’”
Kern is survived by her parents, stepparents, sister, stepsiblings, grandparents and her boyfriend.
Jones and Haliburton have been together for more than seven years, a relationship that began during his time as a guard for the Iowa State Cyclones.
Haliburton was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2020 before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2022.
The couple is expected to tie the knot on Aug. 1, according to an online wedding registry.