Kriti Mehrotra
With Mike Tyson being one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry for the past few decades, it comes as no surprise that whenever he seems to step back in the ring, a focus directly goes towards his personal life too. Therefore, of course, the case is no different now that he is getting ready for his bout against online personality Jake Paul in Texas on November 15, 2024, which will be streamed live on Netflix as the final part of ‘Countdown: Paul vs Tyson.’
Mike Tyson Has Three Siblings
While Mike was born in 1966 as the youngest of Lorna Mae Smith Tyson and Purcell Tyson’s three kids, the truth is he grew up with his mother’s then-boyfriend, Jimmy Lee Kirkpatrick, as the patriarch. Therefore, he considered the latter his father. He has a half-brother in Jimmie Kirkpatrick, who was raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, while the Tysons were in New York. In other words, Mike spent most of his early years alongside his 1961-born elder brother, Rodney Tyson, and his beloved 1964-born elder sister, Denise Annette “Niecy” Tyson Anderson, in Brooklyn, New York. Unfortunately, though, things changed by the time the 1970s rolled around as Jimmy ended up abandoning the family, leaving Lorna to care for all the youngsters by herself.
Denise Tyson Sadly Passed Away at the Age of 24
It was on February 21, 1990, when the entire world turned upside down for the Tyson family as the happily married Denise was sadly found dead in her St. Albans home in Queens, New York. According to records, it was her husband who found her unconscious and unresponsive that fateful morning before dialing 911, yet it was already too late — the 24-year-old could not be revived. It has since been reported she passed away from an apparent cardiac arrest, which her body simply couldn’t handle since she already had diabetes and asthma, all the while weighing over 400 pounds.
Rodney Tyson is a Retired Medical Professional
While Mike Tyson is undeniably a public figure, his elder brother Rodney actually prefers to lead a much different and quieter life, well away from the public limelight. However, we do know he is currently based in Los Angeles, California, where he once proudly served as a Surgical Physician Assistant at the University of Southern California-Los Angeles. This Brooklyn Technical High School graduate is actually also a former hospital corpsman for the US Navy, yet now, he seems to be spending most of his time with his loving wife, Tammy Tyson, with whom he shares an adult son.
We should mention that boxing legend Mike always knew he and his brother were on entirely different levels in terms of their interests as well as skill sets, which he even detailed in his 2014 autobiography. In fact, in ‘Undisputed Truth,’ he penned, “We’re black guys from the ghetto, and he was like a scientist – he had these little test tubes and was always experimenting.” Then, he later also expressed that when a couple of his friends were shot when they were younger, Rodney actually volunteered to stitch them up because that’s just the kind of man he is – kind, caring, and responsible, qualities he holds to this very day.
Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick is a Retired Athlete and Teacher
While Jimmie was an athlete like his half-brother Mike Tyson, his chosen field was football, only for him to eventually shift gears to evolve into a teacher because of circumstances. According to reports, he was actually the best athlete in Myers Park High School’s history, yet a knee injury unfortunately cut his career short and pushed him to dabble in his other interests. Thankfully, with him being a scholar too, he was able to pursue a Bachelor’s from Purdue University as well as a Master’s from Oregon State University before wholeheartedly deciding to become an educator in Portland, Oregon.
Jimmie was proudly employed as a high school administrator for more than 25 years, but he has since retired and settled into a good, quiet life in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. This travel enthusiast and speaker is now surrounded by loved ones at every step of the way, yet more importantly, he has since also spread his wings as the co-owner of Stirring The Ashes LLC. As if that’s not enough, it’s also imperative to note that he was the subject of the 2024 documentary ‘A Binding Truth,’ which chronicles the real-life story of how he defeated all odds and battled discrimination just to play football.
