Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers had a bachelorette trip for his fiancée, Jade Jones, take a tragic turn when one of his friends, Makenzie Khan, passed away shortly after her 26th birthday while on vacation.
Jones was celebrating the upcoming marriage to the two-time NBA All-Star with friends in St. Barts when Khan died unexpectedly due to health issues on June 8. A source indicated to TMZ that there was no belief of foul play, drugs, or alcohol involved in the incident.
The reasons behind Khan’s death remain unclear, although she and Jones had formed a strong friendship during their time at Iowa State University.
On June 6, just two days before Khan’s death, Jones shared Instagram photos capturing moments of sunlight and boating adventures, captioning it: “Jumped on a plane to Cloud 9.” It was on that same day that Khan celebrated her 26th birthday.
So far, neither Haliburton nor Jones has made any public comments regarding this heartbreaking event.
In a statement, Khan’s family noted that she passed away “surrounded by close friends on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to St. Barthelemy.” An online obituary shared that during her time there, she enjoyed water skiing, boating with her dad, and even trying out a seabob for the first time, which her friends said she loved so much they had to pull her out of the water.
Khan, originally from Iowa, was remembered by loved ones as someone who truly embraced life and could bring joy to anyone around her. She had recently earned a degree in human development and family studies from Iowa State University in 2022 and was employed as the membership director for the YMCA of Omaha at the time of her passing.
Her obituary highlighted her dedication to her work, friends, and pets, particularly her cat Dusty. A memorable childhood trait mentioned was her selflessness—often allowing other kids on the playground to go ahead of her on the slide, saying, “You go first, I’ll take a turn later.”
Khan is survived by her parents, in-laws, sister, brother-in-law, grandparents, and partner.
Jones and Haliburton have been together for over seven years; their relationship began when he played for the Iowa State Cyclones. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2020 and later traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2022.
The couple is set to marry on August 1, according to their online marriage registry.
