The mother of former University of Kentucky basketball star Karl-Anthony Towns died Monday as a result of complications from COVID-19.
Jacqueline Cruz was placed in a medically-induced coma in March after testing positive for the coronavirus. Towns, a 24-year-old forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, revealed details of the events that led to Cruz's hospitalization in an Instagram post on March 24. Towns' father also tested positive for coronavirus but was released from the hospital and told to self-quarantine.
In Towns' post, he said medical staff at one point thought his mother was "turning a corner" before her condition worsened.
"They said that she went sideways _ things went sideways quick, and her lungs were extremely getting worse," Towns said. "And she was having trouble breathing. And they were just explaining to me that she had to be put on a ventilator. And she was getting worse."
The Timberwolves released a statement from a spokesperson from the Towns family announcing the news that Cruz had passed away.
"Jackie, as she was affectionately known among family and friends, had been battling the virus for more than a month when she succumbed on April 13," the statement read. "Jackie was many things to many people _ a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. The matriarch of the Towns family, she was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring, and extremely loving person, who touched everyone she met. Her passion was palpable and her energy will never be replaced."
Shortly after news of Cruz's death broke, the official Twitter account for the UK men's basketball team posted the family's statement along with the following response: "We are devastated for @KarlTowns and his family. Ms. Jackie was a ray of sunshine and Karl's No. 1 fan. Our thoughts and prayers are with Karl and the entire Towns family. #BBN, please keep them in your thoughts."
Kentucky Coach John Calipari also offered his condolences on Twitter:
"Ellen and I are absolutely devastated and shocked. @KarlTowns and his dad called us earlier and we could tell something had happened. It's one of the hardest phone calls I've ever had to take. We were getting updates that she was getting better and now this."
Calipari continued: "Ms. Jackie was an angel and we were blessed to have her in our lives. I cannot imagine the heartbreak that @KarlTowns and Karl Sr. are going through right now but my hope is we can lift them up during this time and get them through this with our thoughts and prayers."
