NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns’ mother, Jacqueline, has died after contracting coronavirus last month. The Minnesota Timberwolves player announced on Instagram his mother was in the hospital due to her having coronavirus-type symptoms, and she was put in a medically induced coma. The Timberwolves confirmed the news Monday afternoon.
“The Towns family is heartbroken by the untimely passing of Jacqueline Towns, due to complications as a result of COVID-19,” the team said in a statement. “Jackie, as she was affectionately known among family and friends, has been battling the virus for more than a month when she succumbed on April 13th. “Jackie was many things to many people – a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. The matriarch of the Towns family, she was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring, ad extremely loving person, who touched everyone she met. Her passion was palpable and her energy will never be replaced.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
The statement continued: “The Towns family is extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and support they have received during this very difficult time,” the T-Wolves said. “They would like to thank the medical warriors at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and JFK Medical Center, who fought for Jackie day in and day out, and helped Karl Sr. recover from the same virus that took Jackie’s life. The family is devastated by their tremendous loss, and respectfully requests privacy at this time of great mourning.”
When Towns announced his mother was in the hospital battling COVID-19 back in March, he revealed that she was dealing with a fever, and she was getting worse by the day. He said: “Her lungs were getting worse, her cough was getting worse. She was deteriorating. She was deteriorating — and we always felt that the next medicine would help. This is the one that’s going to get it done. This mixture is going to get it done.”
Towns’ father, Karl Sr., also contracted coronavirus, but he has made a full recovery. According to The Guardian, there are over 568,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with nearly 23,000 deaths. 80 percent of the patients experience mild symptoms such as fever and pneumonia. Out of all the states, New York has been hit the hardest with over 195,000 confirmed cases.
