shared that his nephew has died following his longtime battle with autoimmune hepatitis.
“My Family, friends, and fans …It is with great sadness that I #DEONDERRICO Announce the passing of my loving nephew Amani Barkley!” the Doubling Down With the Derricos star, 53, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, July 20. “Our family is devastated.”
He continued: “Amani, as many of you know, was the son of my late brother , and , 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!”
Derrico asked his followers to “pray” for the family as they mourn their loss. The reality star shared that in lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted to Derrico and his mother Marian’s joint foundation, which benefits liver transplant patients and cancer patients.
“While GG, and I, are here in Detroit, for the funeral we will be updating you all with more details!” he continued. “We thank you all for your love and prayers and please know, although Amani has transitioned over to JESUS, your prayers were answered as GODs will was done! We Thank You, Amen.”
Barkley is survived by his son, Adonis, and mother Stacey.
Deon’s ex-wife, , shared her own touching tribute for Barkley following the news of his death.
“Rest well Amani! Thank you for all your texts, calls, DM’s, prayers, donations, and support!” Karen, 44, captioned a Sunday, July 21, Instagram Reel of Barkley spending quality time with her and Deon’s 14 children. “This is extremely devastating to our family, and we love each and everyone for all that has been done! ❤️❤️🙏🏾.”
Fans were introduced to Barkley during season 4 of Doubling Down With the Derricos after a DNA test confirmed he and Deon were related.
The family learned that Barkley had battled autoimmune hepatitis, which can cause cirrhosis or liver failure, since he was 14 years old and required multiple liver transplants. Earlier this year, Karen set up a GoFundMe for Barkley, raising more than $17,000 for medical bills and other necessities.
In June, Barkley received a liver transplant, which was believed to be successful at the time, but his body rejected the organ before he underwent a third and final transplant.
