Detroit Lions’ Marvin Jones Jr. announces sudden death of 6-month-old son, Marlo

DETROIT — The family of NFL wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. is grieving after his 6-month-old son died Friday, multiple news outlets are reporting.

According to the Detroit Free Press and MLive.com, the Detroit Lions player shared the news about his youngest son, Marlo, in a heartbreaking Instagram post Saturday.

“Yesterday the Lord called home a piece of my family’s heart, Marlo,” Jones captioned a photo of the boy. “It is hard to believe that our little angel, our fighter from day one, our son ‘Marlito’ has unfortunately passed away and is no longer here with us.”

He added: “Marlo, the joy that you brought to us everyday, with that smile, and that energy was like heaven on earth. You will always be in our hearts. We will always remember you.”

View this post on Instagram

Yesterday the Lord called home a piece of my family’s heart, Marlo. It is hard to believe that our little angel, our fighter from day one, our son “Marlito” has unfortunately passed away and is no longer here with us. Marlo, the joy that you brought to us everyday, with that smile, and that energy was like heaven on earth. You will always be in our hearts. We will always remember you. We did not get the chance to hear your first words (It would’ve been in Spanish too) ☺️. We didn’t get to see you run with your brothers and sister, you ran with them with your eyes everyday. We know that everything that We do from here on out will be with you. Every step we take, you will be with us. Whenever we have a bad day, We will think of your smile. We miss you already buddy and will forever love you. Rest peacefully our sweet baby boy. You have gained your wings 👼🏽👼🏽

A post shared by Marvin Jones Jr (@marvinjonesjr) on Dec 28, 2019 at 3:41pm PST

The Lions said in a statement that the boy’s death was “sudden” but did not say how he died. The team also offered support to Jones and his wife, Jazmyn.

“Marvin and Jazmyn embody the true meaning of family, and the example they set has made them an inspiration to so many in our community,” the team’s statement read. “We thank everyone for the outpouring of support.”