How Rihanna Is Remembering Her Cousin After His Tragic Death

Rihanna is speaking out about the death of her cousin, Tavon Kaiseen Alleyne, four years after his murder. According to Independent, Tavon was shot dead in Barbados on December 26, 2017, in the Eden Lodge area of the island. Tavon had spent Christmas with Rihanna the day before. Tavon's sister Tanella spoke with Daily Mail about the incident shortly after it happened. "My brother wasn't a saint, but he didn't go looking for trouble," she shared. The family has experienced a lot of heartbreak over the years, Tanella explained, making Tavon's death all the more tragic."We lost our mother at seven, and our dad was never playing his part. Then everyone separated, we never lived together until recently," Tanella told the outlet. "This was our first Christmas together, the first time we've ever lived together."

Tanella also added that her other brother witnessed the incident, stating that Tavon did nothing wrong to deserve being shot. He was simply standing outside his home when someone came up to him, shot him, and then fled the scene. For a few days, the shooting suspect remained on the loose, but shortly after Tavon's death, police arrested 23-year-old Shawayne Dashawn Williams and charged him with murder, per Daily Mail. According to the outlet, there had been a spike in crime in the days surrounding Tavon's murder.

Years later, Rihanna took to Instagram to share a touching and heartfelt tribute to her cousin to commemorate the anniversary of his death.

In late December, Rihanna paid tribute to her cousin, Tavon Kaiseen Alleyne. The singer shared a series of photos, including a few of herself and her cousin caught in an embrace. The remaining images in the series included a few solo shots of Alleyne, who was all smiles in each one. Rihanna accompanied the pictures with a sweet caption to remember Alleyne on the fourth anniversary of his death. "Miss you and dat smile cuz," she wrote in the caption.

It didn't take too long for fans to flock to the comments section to send Rihanna love during what has to be a difficult time for her and her family. "God Bless you and your family. He's one of the angels covering your family," one follower commented on the upload. "May he continue to rest in paradise," a second social media user chimed in alongside a sad face emoji. "I know he's looking down on you and is so proud of everything you've achieved," another added.

This is not the first time that Rihanna has opened up about the tragic loss of her cousin. In late December 2017, the singer shared a photo of herself and Alleyne to announce the sad news to the world. "RIP cousin... can't believe it was just last night that I held you in my arms! never thought that would be the last time I felt the warmth in your body!!!" she wrote. "Love you always, man!" Rihanna also used a hashtag to promote putting an end to gun violence.