(Updated on 2/20/2026 at 6:30p.m.ET) Rapper Lil Jon is breaking his silence after laying his son Nathan Smith to rest. As we previously told you, Smith was reported missing at the top of February with his body later being found in a nearby pond.
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In a post to Instagram, Jon gave his last touching words to his son and revealed to fans that his funeral was at the start of Ramadan.
“On the first day of Ramadan yesterday, We laid my only son to rest. In this holy month, I’m asking for extra du’a for him and for our family. Please pray that Allah grants him Jannah and grants us sabr, mercy, and strength. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” he wrote.
The rapper continued: “I love you, son. Life will never be the same without you. Allah, give me strength. Also thank you to everyone who has reached out with condolences, love, and prayers we appreciate you all. I will make sure the world knows your talent and never forgets your name. Nathan Murray Smith.”
See the orginal story below.
In news that can only be described as utterly devastating, rapper Lil Jon is dealing with a tragedy thanks to some heartbreaking news that was released on Friday about his son. And trust us when we say, it’s something that no parent wants to hear.
For context, his 27-year-old son Nathan Smith was reported missing in Milton, Georgia on Feb. 3 with TMZ reporting that the local police department had issued a missing person alert for him after saying that left his home barefoot. They “immediately began search effort” and expanded their search area to include a pond that was located near Smith’s home in Milton.
Sadly, on Friday Milton PD would report hat they found a body believed to be Smith and later confirmed it.
“On February 6, 2026, at approximately 11:53 a.m., divers with the Cherokee County Fire Department located and recovered a body from the pond,” the report read in part.
The department went on to say that at the time, there was no suspicion of foul play, but that they plan to still treat this incident as an “open and active investigation.”
Once the news made it back to the “Lovers and Friends” rapper, he took to Instagram to express his devastation over this deep loss.
“i am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother [Nicole Smith] and I are devastated. Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet. He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate and warmhearted- he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest,” he said.
He continued: “He was an amazingly talented young ma; a music producer, an artist and engineer and graduate of NYU. We loved Nathan with all our hearts and are incredibly proud of him. He was loved and appreciated and in our last times together we’re comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him.”
Lil Jon concluded by thanking his fans and followers and friends for the condolences and the Milton PD for their efforts in locating his son.
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