Jimmy Kirkpatrick: the tragic truth behind Mike Tyson’s Father’s Death

Updated On March 18, 2024 | Published By: Gracie Hale | In Death , Interesting Facts

Source: GH Gossip

Jimmy Kirkpatrick was renowned as the father of former professional boxer Mike Tyson
He was not the biological father of Mike Tyson

Table of Contents

Who are Mike Tyson’s parents?

Mike Tyson was born to Purcell Tyson (father) and Lorna Smith Tyson (mother) on June 30, 1966, according to his birth certificate.

Purcell hailed from Jamaica whereas his mother was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. Similarly, he was a humble cab driver while Lorna was reportedly a promiscuous woman.

He also mentioned his father in his autobiography as being a mystery for him and his siblings. However, he never met his father in person neither his siblings.

Jimmy Kirkpatrick was renowned as the father of former professional boxer Mike Tyson (Source: Vulture)

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However, Tyson was raised and the man he had known as his father was Jimmy Kirkpatrick. He was told that Jimmy was his biological father, but, he was barely present for them. Tyson said,

“My father was just a regular street guy caught up in the street world,”

Here’s what you want to know about!

Who was Jimmy Kirkpatrick?

Jimmy came into the limelight of the media as the father of Mike Tyson. He was from Grier Town, North Carolina, a predominantly black neighborhood that was taken over by the city of Charlotte.

Kirkpatrick was one of the neighborhood’s top baseball players. He was married prior to meeting Tyson’s mother, Lorna Mae (Smith) Tyson.

Similarly, he had a son named Lee Kirkpatrick, who would help to integrate Charlotte high school football in 1965.

In 1959, Jimmy left his family and moved to Brooklyn where he met Lorna. He frequented pool halls, gambled, and hung out on the streets. However, he abandoned the Tyson family around the time Mike was born.

Jimmy Kirkpatrick was not the biological father of Mike Tyson (Source: Find a Grave)

Mike has an elder brother Rodney (b. 1961) and an older sister Denise, who died of a heart attack at the age of 24 in February 1990.

When did Jimmy Kirkpatrick die?

Jimmy is no longer alive among us. He died on October 28, 1992, at the age of 68, in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA.

He was buried at Rosedale and Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, Union County, New Jersey, USA. However, Jimmy’s cause of death hasn’t been disclosed.

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