How did Dr Dre’s son die?
Despite enjoying the kind of success that most of our imaginations cannot even fathom, Dr Dre has endured heartbreaking tragedies throughout his life. Naturally, the world knows Dr Dre as one of the wealthiest, powerful, and revered individuals in the history of the music industry.
And yet, from a challenging childhood – he was raised by a teenage single mother – to several young deaths in his immediate family, Dre had endured more hardship than anyone deserves.
One of these deaths is that of his son. Andre Young Jr, named directly after his father – Dre’s real name is Andre Romell Young – tragically passed away at the age of 20 in 2008.
He was found unresponsive by his mother, Jenita Porter, in their home in late August, after he had been out with friends that night. In a statement from Dre’s representatives, the death was confirmed a few days later. “”Dr Dre is mourning the loss of his son Andre Young Jr. Please respect his family’s grief and privacy at this time,” the statement said.
And half a year later, the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner confirmed to PEOPLE magazine that Young died from an overdose of heroin and morphine. “This case has been closed, it’s been ruled an accident due to morphine and heroin intoxication,” coroner spokesman Larry Dietz said.
Dre’s fourth son, Young, was the subject of a paternity dispute in 1990, two years after his birth. According to the Los Angeles Times, his mother filed a lawsuit for $5,000 a month in child support, claiming that the rapper had promised to support their child before he was born.
Dre has an alleged nine children in total. His second child, La Tonya, is another sad story. A 38-year-old single mother of four, whose jobs include working for food delivery services, told the Daily Mail she has not received money from her father, who was at one point the richest rapper in history after the sale of Beats to Apple.
“I’m homeless and I’ve been reaching out to my dad for help,” she said. “His lawyer has said that my dad doesn’t want to help me because I’ve spoken about him in the press. I feel like I’m damned if I do, I’m damned if I don’t. I’m just trying to communicate with him and see if he wants to talk to his grandkids.”
This isn’t the first time the rapper has been known to be tight with money when it comes to his children and the mothers of his children. Despite acknowledging he was the father of Young, Dre agreed to pay only $500 a month in child support.
Years on from his death, his memory is still celebrated by his friends and family alike. His younger brother, Curtis, posted about him on Twitter in 2014. “Andre Young Jr,” the post read. “Missing you lil bro.”
Similar to Curtis, La Tonya, and his other children, Dre also knows what it is to grieve a deceased sibling. His half-brother, Jerome, died as an infant when Dre was just one year old. And in 1989, his other half-brother Tyree died at the age of 21 after suffering from severe injuries, including a broken neck, in a street fight. The case remains unresolved, but Dre, who was close to his brother growing up, has acknowledged how deeply the loss has affected him, most notably in his song ‘The Message’ from his 1999 album 2001.