In emotional posts shared on their respective Instagrams, Tyrese Haliburton and his fiancée, Jade Jones, honored Makenzi Kern following her death during a bachelorette party.
Makenzi Kern, a childhood friend of Jones, died following health complications during Jones' bachelorette party on the Caribbean island of St. Barthélemy earlier this month. In a lengthy post shared on Instagram, alongside a series of photos of Kern, Jones described her as "a once-in-a-lifetime kind of friend." Her Indiana Pacers guard fiancé commented, "I love you" on the post.
"Kenzi was the funniest, goofiest person I've ever met," Jones wrote, as seen in the post below. "She was always making me belly laugh. She had such a gift of bringing happiness to every room she was in. … She loved and supported Tyrese and me through every chapter. She was our biggest cheerleader and showed up for me in every big moment in my life. I can’t even imagine our wedding day without her there celebrating with us.”
Jones and Kern met as teammates on the Iowa State University cheerleading squad, where Kern also attended school alongside Haliburton. She added that she’s “forever grateful” that she got to spend so much time with Kern, who she described as “a light in this world.”
“I love you forever until the end of time Kenzi,” she wrote. “You are truly so beautiful inside and out & a once-in-a-lifetime kind of friend. Thank you for always showing up for me, for making me laugh until I cry, and for being such an unforgettable part of my life. I’ll always miss you but I know you’ll be with me, wherever I go.”
In a post shared on his Instagram Stories, Haliburton added, “We will always love and miss you Kenz… forever thankful for you.”
Kern died on June 8, aged 26, while celebrating her best friend’s upcoming wedding. Her family said they do not believe foul play, alcohol, or drugs contributed to her death. The circumstances surrounding her death haven’t been publicly disclosed.
Jones and Haliburton are scheduled to get married on August 1.
Prior to her death, Kern had a job as the Membership Director at the YMCA's Armbrust Branch in Omaha. She is survived by her parents, sister Delani Kern, and boyfriend Alan Dungan.
