Reading Time: 2 minutes
Aruturo Gatti Jr. — an aspiring boxer and the son of boxing legend Arturo Gatti — has passed away at the age of 17.
Gatti was found dead in Mexico on Monday afternoon.
News of his passing comes courtesy of a statement from the elder Gatti’s former bodyguard, actor Chuck Zito:
Family friend reveals Arturo Gatti Jr.’s cause of death
“It’s with a heavy heart that I have to say,…. R.I.P. to 17-year-old ARTURO GATTI JR., Zito wrote on Instagram.
He added that Gatti died by suicide, but that claim has not been corroborated by any other sources.
According to Zito, Gatti Jr, was found “the same way they found his Father dead in an apartment in Brazil 16 years ago.”
“My condolences to Arturo Gatti Seniors – Mom, Sisters, Brothers, and his daughter Sophia,” the statement concluded.
The news was later confirmed by Gatti’s boxing coach, Moe Latif:
“It is unfortunately not a rumor or a joke. Arturo is gone,” Latif wrote, according to People magazine.
“I’d appreciate if you stop reaching out at this time,” he added.
A tragic family history
Gatti Jr. was just one year old when his father was found dead under mysterious circumstances in July 2009 in Porto de Galinhas, Brazil.
While the elder Gatti’s death was ruled a suicide, The Ring magazine reports that an examination by renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden revealed that Gatti did not hang himself.
On Zito’s Instagram post, commenters offered condolences to the family while expressing utter shock and bafflement:
“How can this happen again?? So sad I love his dad !! True warrior!” one commenter wrote.
“Check in on your family and friends from time to time friends, you never know the demons people fight everyday and the sweetest people are usually the ones going through things, May God bless the Gatti family,” another added.
“No words can say how my heart aches hearing this. RIP BABY BOY,” a third offered.
Our thoughts go out to the Gatti family during this enormously difficult time.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Arturo Gatti Jr. Cause of Death: Son of Boxing Legend Passes Away at 17 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.