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WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains images of people who have died
Friends and family have paid tribute to aspiring Adelaide rapper Tyrone Anthony Weetra after the young man died following an epilepsy seizure.
The 20-year-old, who used the name T-Bone for his music, died on Tuesday, September 12 while in hospital, leaving behind his mother and seven siblings, the youngest being eight-years-old.
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“I’m heartbroken. I’m devastated. My heart has been ripped out from my chest, and I’ve been crying every single day,” his mother, Tracy Weetra, said.
“He was beautiful, kind caring and generous.”
Tracy said about two months ago, her son told her that he saw a man experiencing homelessness at a local shopping centre in Adelaide.
Tyrone gave the barefoot man his own shoes and money to buy some food, she said.
“He had a heart of gold,” Tracy said.
Tyrone loved rap music to express himself, she said.
He posted some of his songs online hoping to gain recognition, and often visited the Northern Sound System recording studio in Adelaide’s north to record verses.
Tyrone developed epilepsy when he was about 18 years old, and while he was taking medication, the episodes would still happen, his mother said.
Last year, he experienced a seizure so bad he was in a coma for about 10 days, she said.
“I couldn’t sleep properly, I couldn’t rest because I had that constant fear of getting that phone call or having the police say your son’s in hospital,” Tracy said.
She said Tyrone’s epilepsy had a devastating impact on his mental health because doing many of the things he loved became too risky.
“It broke him. He was drowning in his own body,” Tracy said.
Tracy said she wanted to help others experiencing epilepsy after seeing the struggles Tyrone endured during his lifetime.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to support the family following Tyrone’s death.
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