🕊️ HE SPOKE THESE WORDS BEFORE HE WAS GONE — AND THEY HIT DIFFERENT NOW

A resurfaced interview is going viral after the death of Nathan Smith, Lil Jon’s son, who was found dead in Milton, Ga., on Feb. 6 at just 27 years old.
In the clip, Nathan praises his father for being “always there” — not as a celebrity, but as a dad.

Fans say hearing those words now feels unbearable… and unforgettable.
A quiet moment. A lasting truth. A reminder of what mattered most.

Lil Jon’s Late Son Nathan Smith Praised Rapper for Being ‘Always There’ in Resurfaced Interview Before His Death at 27

Nathan Smith was found dead in Milton, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 6, according to local police

Lil Jon and his son Nathan Smith in New York City in October 2018.Credit : 

Kevin Mazur/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Lil Jon’s son, Nathan Smith, was found dead on Friday, Feb. 6, just days after he was reported missing from his home
Smith, 27, had praised the rapper for “always” being there as his father in an interview almost a year before his death
“I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother [Nicole] and I are devastated,” Lil Jon said in a statement to PEOPLE following his son’s death

Lil Jon’s late son, Nathan Smith, spoke highly of the rapper in an interview just months before his death.

Since Smith, 27, was found dead on Friday, Feb. 6, a clip from an interview he did with the nonprofit organization 360 Baseline back in March 2025, has resurfaced on Instagram. He praised Lil Jon for “always showing up” as his father throughout the years while discussing their close relationship.

When asked how having his dad “active” in his life had impacted him, Smith responded, “I mean, to be honest, my dad was the type who never made me, or put me in a place where I had to think about any of that, because he was always there.”

“He was always showing up for my birthdays, even if he had to perform somewhere, he would turn it down and come be with me,” Smith continued. “Just having him and just him letting me know he’s there, whether it was music [or] watching a movie at the end of the day … you don’t really have to worry too much about that.”

Nathan Smith in Georgia in May 2025.Julia Beverly/Getty

Smith is Lil Jon’s first child, shared with his estranged wife Nicole Smith. The rapper announced their split in February 2024 and clarified the couple had been separated for two years prior.

The Milton Police Department revealed that Smith was missing on Feb. 3, after he was seen leaving his home disoriented and without his phone in Milton, Ga. On Friday, Feb. 6, the police announced that a body, believed to be that of Smith’s, had been recovered from a pond “in Mayfield Park near Smith’s Milton residence.”

“On Feb. 6, at approximately 11:53 a.m., divers with the Cherokee County Fire Department located and recovered a body from the pond,” the MPD said on Facebook. “The individual is believed to be Nathan Smith, pending official confirmation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.”

There was “no indication of foul play,” surrounding the death, the police confirmed.

Lil Jon and Nathan Smith aka DJ Young Slade in New York City in August 2016.Chance Yeh/Getty

In a statement to PEOPLE following the announcement of his son’s death, Lil Jon wrote that he was “heartbroken” at the tragic news.

“I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother [Nicole] and I are devastated,” said the rapper. “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.”

Smith was following the footsteps of his dad, as a music producer and artist and was a graduate of New York University.

“We loved Nathan with all of 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 added.