While he has posted a number of photos and videos since Shad Gaspard’s death, former WWE Superstar JTG (real name Jayson Anthony Paul) finally released his first statement regarding Gaspard’s passing on Sunday. The statement, which he sent out via Twitter, read, “I want to say thank you to all the friends, fans and family who have reached out to me and Shad’s family during this difficult time. The outpour of love and support has definitely helped me get through this. I have my moments where I’m in disbelief and felling a tremendous amount of hurt but as soon as I start to reminisce about Shad and our relationship I begin to smile. I have tons of memories of Shad and I just chilling for no reason and having a great time, enjoying each other’s energy, working out together, traveling the world together.”
You can check out the full statement below.
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#CRYMETYME4LIFE pic.twitter.com/M9eJwbjhGS
— JTG (@Jtg1284) May 24, 2020
JTG and Gaspard debuted as the Cryme Tyme tag team back in 2006 and would continue to work together all the way up through January of this year.
Gaspard disappeared last Sunday while swimming with his 10-year-old son in Marina del Rey in Venice Beach. The pair were pulled out into open water by a riptide, and Gaspard told the rescue team to save his son first when they arrived. He was submerged by a large wave before they could go back for him, and his body was recovered early Wednesday morning. He was declared dead at the age of 39.
He is survived by his wife Siliana and their so Aryeh. Earlier this week Siliana released her own statement.
“Shad was our whole world and we were his. There are not enough words to describe what he means to all of us. He was our heart, our soul, our protector, our warrior. He was a brought force of nature, who brought joy to many through his joyous and gracious nature. The outpouring of love from Shad’s friends, colleagues and fans has meant more to us than you can even imagine. We’d like to once again thank the lifeguards, coast guard, divers, fire and police departments for their efforts.
The statement concluded — “Shad was and will always be our real life super hero.”
In the days that followed more than $100,000 has been generated from the pair via a GoFundMe Campaign.
