Venus and Serena Williams' nephew Alphonse, 21, kills himself after dire diagnosis
King Richard's grandson Alphonse Williams, who was also the nephew of famous tennis players Serena and Venus Williams, took his own life after battling with mental disorders and depression. The 21-year-old boy had never met his famous aunties (Serena & Venus) and grandfather Richard, who is portrayed in the Oscar-nominated movie starring Will Smith, because of a family feud that has been raging for decades. It was a traumatizing incident for his mother Sabrina who worked hard to raise her two boys. Alphonse was her youngest.
Sabrina, who is 57 now, is Richard's child from his first marriage to Betty Johnson. He reportedly walked out on her and his five children when Sabrina was just eight. Sabrina is therefore the half sister of the sporting duo Serena and Venus. It was understood that Richard always ignored his first family and never tried meeting them once he was married to another woman. Tragically, all these undermined relations are now being examined after Sabrina's youngest son took his own life on February 3 after battling his own demons. This included a recent diagnosis of Peyronie's disease that causes the abnormal curvature of the penis. Sabrina also mentioned that now she would never try contacting Serena or Venus for help, "because for me they're dead!" she said.
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Speaking exclusively to 'The Sun,' Sabrina said, " When my son attempted [to end] his life two and a half years ago, I asked God, save his life and give me a little bit more time, please. And God answered my prayers. He did. He gave me two and a half years more than I expected. I knew he was on loan and God called in that loan.” Sabrina lives in Las Vegas and shares a home with Alphonse and his elder brother Elijah, 23. She got to know the severity and devastating impact Peyronie's disease only after she read about the health condition online. The disease can also affect the mental stability of a person and push them to take their own lives.
Alphonse who was believed to have bipolar disorder, felt like his life was over and is believed to have taken an overdose of an unknown medication. His autopsy results are yet to be released.
Sabrina says: "He was crying last Monday, hysterical crying. The week before, the doctor confirmed what he already knew, that he had Peyronie's. He had started back at high school, he was going into his fourth semester of computer engineering and was regularly seeing a counselor. It's going to take six to eight weeks for the coroner to find out what he bought. We know he's taken some strong medicines which would have made him fall asleep, he would have gone into respiratory distress, but wouldn't have known. He just never woke up," she explained while weeping.
Sabrina heartbreakingly said, "My older son is still sending texts to his phone, talking about sports, he doesn't want to let go, that's part of his grieving process. I can ask God why didn't he take some damn frickin' serial killer? Or child molester or something? But I will never know the answer. My son went to the gym, he was 165 pounds of pure muscle. He had only eight percent body weight when he died, he was a serious athlete. He became a vegan, he joined a couple of clubs, but the news that he got from the doctor…" It seems the dire medical diagnosis was the straw that broke the camel's back.