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Nathan Smith, the 27-year-old son of rapper Lil Jon, has been found dead days after disappearing from his Georgia home. 

On February 6, police in Milton, Georgia, confirmed in a statement shared on Facebook that divers had found and recovered a body from a pond in Mayfield Park near Smith’s residence in Milton. The body is believed to be Smith. Official confirmation from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office is pending. Smith was reported missing on the morning of February 3. Police do not suspect foul play in his death.

Lil Jon ‘heartbroken’ after son’s body discovered

Lil Jon – whose real name is Jonathan Smith – confirmed his son’s death in a statement shared on Instagram. 

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

“Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet,” the 55-year-old continued. “He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted – he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest.”

Lil Jon remembered his son, who performed under the name DJ Young Slade as “an amazingly talented young man” who’d worked as a musician, producer, and engineer and graduated from NYU. 

“We loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him,” Lil Jon added. “He was loved and appreciated, and in our last times together, we’re comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him.”

The “Turn Down for What” rapper also thanked the Milton Police Department for their help in searching for Smith, calling out several detectives and investigators by name, as well as several other agencies and the volunteers that participated in the search.

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