Bobby Brown Jr.’s Friends and Family Mourn His Death: ‘Talented Artist Gone Way Too Soon’

A week after Bobby Brown Jr.’s death, his friends, family, and loved ones are remembering him as a talented performer who died too soon. Brown, the son of singer Bobby Brown and Kim Ward, was 28. His cause of death has not been made public, but he reportedly suffered “flu-like” symptoms before his death. Brown died more than five years after his stepsister, Bobbi Kristina Brown, died in July 2015.

Brown was found dead at his home in the Los Angeles area on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Police sources told TMZ they do not believe foul play was involved. A family source later told TMZ he suffered “flu-like” symptoms before his death, but they do not believe he had the coronavirus. “Please keep my family in your prayers at this time. Losing my son at this point in our lives has devastated my family. There are no words to explain the pain,” Brown’s father said in a statement on Nov. 19.

The rapper’s death was the latest tragedy for his family. Bobby was married to Whitney Houston from 1996 until 2006 and she died in 2012 after she was found unconscious in her Beverly Hilton Hotel room. Bobby and Houston’s only child, Bobbi Kristina, died in July 2015 after six months in a coma. Bobbi Kristina’s boyfriend, Nick Gordon, was found liable for her death in a civil trial. Gordon died from a suspected drug overdose in January 2020. Scroll on for a look at how Brown’s friends remembered him.

‘I lost my soul mate’

Brown’s girlfriend, Anna Reed, shared several heartbreaking messages after Brown’s death. “The heavens gained an angel but I lost my soul mate,” she wrote on Nov. 19. “I can’t find the comfort you gave me anywhere baby,” she wrote on Nov. 24, adding a broken heart emoji. Reed has also shared videos of Brown with her Twitter followers.

‘We inspired each other’

Producer James Worthy told PEOPLE he was working on an album with Brown just days before his death. “He was on a roll with this album,” Worthy, a close family friend, said. He later added, “We inspired each other. We helped each other grow musically. He was someone I loved and held dear to me. I can’t believe he is gone.”

Worthy said he still hopes to release some of the music they made together. He said it was “hard” to know the world “won’t get to see what potential he had,” calling Brown a “talented artist gone way too soon.”

‘Great guy with an incredible soul’

Brown’s friend Kasey shared messages on Twitter, showing the two planning a “friendsgiving” for this week. Kasey told PEOPLE Brown was a “great guy with an incredible soul.”

“He was so down-to-earth, so sweet, so caring. He would give you the confidence to believe in yourself. He dreamed so big, whether it be for himself or his close friends,” Kasey said. “He will forever live on in my heart and mind.”

‘He put a smile on everyone’s face’

Eddie Ray is engaged to Brown’s older sister, La’Princia. He said Brown could light up a room whenever he walked in and “put a smile on everyone’s face.”

“He had that much of a good vibe,” Ray told PEOPLE. “He loved everyone, and everyone loved him. He was about to lead a new charge in music with two new songs that were slated to drop soon. B could go boom-bap rappy, or could hit you with country. Just so diverse. The way his mind worked is extraordinary — Einstein-level genius.”

‘He’s a solid person’

Geo Moya, another close friend, told The Daily Mail he was trying “to be as positive as I can be” after Brown’s death. “‘He was a good person. He was raised right. He had respect. He was just a beacon of light. The way that Bobby was with everybody, he’s a solid person,” Moya said. “Everybody respected Bobby for him being the person who always thought logically.”

‘He was so close to his dad’

Artist Cyndee told PEOPLE Brown’s “pen game was terrific and he performed like the star he was.” She said he also loved to cook and family was important for him. “He was so close to his dad and all his siblings,” Cyndee said. “The gang will never forget him.”