The coronavirus continues to take our community by storm.
Jacqueline Cruz, the mother of Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, passed away on Monday due to complications after a lengthy battle with COVID-19, according to a family spokesperson.
“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 13th,” said the statement posted to Twitter.
“Jackie was many things to many people—a wife, a 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.”
It continued, “The Towns family is extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and support they have received during this very difficult time.”
The news of her death comes after Towns opened up back in late March that his mother was hospitalized and had been placed under a medically induced coma due to COVID-19 symptoms. In a video shared to Instagram, the 24-year-old said that Cruz’s symptoms “kept getting worse.” Towns said his father was also hospitalized with symptoms, but was later released and told to quarantine himself.
More than 23,000 people have died from the novel coronavirus in the U.S. with more than 120,000 worldwide.
As the heartbreaking news swept the Internet, NBA players began to extend their condolences. The Timberwolves also released a statement, writing, “Jackie provided constant and positive energy for [Karl-Anthony] and was beloved by our entire organization and staff at Target Center.”
Our prayers and sympathy go out to the Towns family during this time.