Deon Derrico announces the death of his nephew Amani Barkley

Deon Derrico announced that his nephew Amani Barkley has died.

On Saturday, July 20, Doubling with the Derricos The 53-year-old star shared a post on Instagram with a photo of Amani appearing to hold someone’s hand, along with a lengthy caption about his nephew.

“To my family, friends and fans… It is with great sadness that I, Deon Derrico, announce the passing of my beloved nephew Amani Barkley,” he wrote in part. “Our family is devastated.”

“Amani, as many of you know, was the son of my late brother Christopher S. Turner and Stacey Dickey,” Deon continued, recounting the moment he and his family first met his nephew. “We only met Amani two years ago, as you can see on @tlcs Doubling with the Derricosand you fell in love with him along with my family and in that short time we built a bond with Amani and brought our families together forever!”

Season 4 of TLC’s reality series – which details the challenges Deon and his wife Karen face as parents of 14 children – followed the couple as they first met Amani and even confirmed through a DNA test that Deon and Amani were indeed uncle and nephew.

The season, which aired in 2023, also featured Amani’s journey exploring his relationship with his late father (Deon’s brother) and meeting Deon’s mother GG, his grandmother, for the first time.

In the years since, Amani and the Derricos have seemingly grown even closer, with the family of 16 speaking openly about Amani’s health issues. In recent months, Deon has shared updates on Amani’s battle with autoimmune hepatitis, which he has been diagnosed with since age 14, according to a GoFundMe campaign the Derricos started last month.

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According to the Mayo Clinic, the disease is caused by an immune system attack on the liver and can lead to cirrhosis or liver failure.

Amani’s illness required a liver transplant at age 21, according to the GoFundMe campaign, which raised over $17,000 to pay Amani’s medical bills and support his one-year-old son, Adonis.

In June, Amani underwent emergency surgery for another transplant, his third. Deon shared on the GoFundMe page earlier this month that his nephew is still battling significant health issues.

“My nephew leaves behind his son Adonis, his mother Stacey, and a whole host of other family and friends,” Deon continued in his Instagram post announcing Amani’s death. “While GG and I are here in Detroit for the funeral, we will keep you all updated with further details.”

Deon also asked his Instagram followers to donate to the Deon Derrico and Marian Derrico Foundation to “help other families of liver transplant patients and recipients, as well as cancer patients and recipients.”

“We thank you all for your love and prayers and please know that even though Amani has passed on to JESUS, your prayers have been answered for God’s will has been done!” Deon concluded his post. “We thank you, Amen.”