‘Doubling Down with the Derricos’ star Deon Derrico announces tragic death of nephew Amani Barkley
DETROIT, MICHIGAN: 'Doubling Down with the Derricos' star Deon Derrico shared the heartbreaking news of his nephew, Amani Barkley's death.
On July 20, the 53-year-old posted a photo on Instagram that seemed to show Amani holding someone's hand. A long, heartfelt message about his nephew accompanied the post.
Deon Derrico announces heartbreaking death of nephew Amani Barkley
Taking to socal media, Deon Derrico penned a long heartfelt note, "My Family, friends, and fans….It is with great sadness that I #DEONDERRICO Announce the passing of my loving nephew Amani Barkley! Our family is devastated."
The post continued, "Amani, as many of you know was the son of my late brother Christopher S. Turner, and Stacey Dickey, we met Amani, just two years ago as seen on @tlc’s Doubling Down With The DERRICOs, and you guys along with my family fell in love with him and in this short time we have built a bond with Amani, and merged our families forever!"
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He also wrote about how the family requested continued prayers and that instead of sending flowers, cards or monetary gifts be mailed to 5892 Losee Rd. Ste 132-313, North Las Vegas, NV, 89081.
Derrico even wrote about donations that could be payable to 'The DEON DERRICO and Marian DERRICO Foundation' to support families of liver transplant and cancer patients.
The post concluded with the note that Amani left behind his son Adonis, mother Stacey, and numerous family and friends and that the family will provide further updates from Detroit, where they are for the funeral.
What is the show 'Doubling Down with the Derricos' about?
Season 4 of the TLC reality series, which documents Deon and Karen's experiences raising their 14 children, included their first meeting with Amani.
During this season, they confirmed through a DNA test that Deon and Amani were indeed uncle and nephew.
Aired in 2023, the season also delved into Amani's exploration of his relationship with his deceased father, Deon's brother.
It also captured the moment when Amani was introduced to his grandmother, Deon's mother GG, for the first time.
Since then, Amani and the Derrico family have appeared to become even closer. They have openly shared their journey, particularly focusing on Amani's health issues.
Over the past few months, Deon had provided updates on Amani's battle with autoimmune hepatitis, a condition he has been dealing with since he was 14, as noted in a GoFundMe campaign initiated by the Derricos last month.
The page also mentions how his condition led to him needing a liver transplant at the age of 21. After his initial liver transplant began to fail, Amani needed another transplant.
On June 2, he underwent emergency surgery for a new liver, but it soon deteriorated.
Placed back on the donor list, Amani received his third liver transplant on June 15, hoping it would be the last. However, he succumbed to his condition soon after.
