Katonya Breaux posted a picture of her son hugging her from behind and smiling, as she smiled as well while looking off into the distance. While she posted the picture without a caption, many expressed the condolences and well-wishes in the comments.
Authorities concluded that Ryan Breaux, along with 20-year-old Ezekial Bishop, who was driving, died from blunt force injuries when their car crashed into a tree at a high speed. Breaux's older brother is singer Frank Ocean, who also has a sister, Ashley "Nikkii" Ellison.
This story was originally published on August 3, 2020.
The 18-year-old younger brother of singer Frank Ocean, Ryan Breaux, reportedly died in a car accident. Breaux is thought to be one of the two victims of the single-car crash which occurred on August 2 in Thousand Oaks, California.
he 18-year-old younger brother of singer Frank Ocean, Ryan Breaux, reportedly died in a car accident. Breaux is thought to be one of the two victims of the single-car crash which occurred on August 2 in Thousand Oaks, California.
The identities of the victims have yet to be officially confirmed by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office, but some friends and family on social media have said that Breaux had been in the car, as well as his friend and classmate Ezekial "Zeek" Bishop, 20, a track and field student-athlete at Cal State Northridge.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and Ventura County Fire Department reportedly responded to reports of a crash at around 1:30 a.m., and found the car had left the road and stuck a tree at the center median. Both people in the car were pronounced dead on the scene. Local authorities told reporters on the scene that "speed was a possible factor in the tragic accident."
A few of Bishop's friends and family have already begun to share their grief about his passing, as well as a few of Breaux's friends.
Paris Brosnan, the son of actor Pierce Brosnan and a friend of Breaux's, paid tribute to the aspiring musician in an Instagram post, sharing photos and screenshots of text messages together. In his caption, Brosnan calls his late friend "a loyal and authentic friend to anyone he knew."
"You were just getting started and ready to show the world who you were," wrote Brosnan.
Breaux's family still hasn't responded to the news, including his notable older brother, singer Ocean, whose real name is Christopher Breaux. The singer included audio of Ocean's younger brother interviewing him on "Futura Free" at the end of his album Blonde, and has a song called off of his Lonny Breaux mixtape called "Orion," which fans believe is about Breaux.
In 2011, Ocean posted a picture of himself playing with his mother and brother on Tumblr, the caption reading, "the kid on my back, that’s my brother ryan. he thinks he’s prince harry. the lady behind us is our mom. she’s beautiful, like nefertiti. my brother thinks i can fly."
Refinery29 has reached out to Ocean for comment.