Dwight Howard Reveals the Mother of His Son Unexpectedly Passed Away 6 Weeks Ago

The world has been forced to reckon with an unspeakable magnitude of tragedy due to COVID-19. While the pandemic didn't necessarily flip Dwight Howard's world upside down, it has drastically impacted his grieving process.

In a conference call with NBA reporters on Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers big man revealed that the mother of his six-year-old son, Melissa Rios, tragically passed away last month after suffering an epileptic seizure.

Dwight Howard, on a video conference call with reporters, said the mother of his six-year old son died during the pandemic nearly six weeks ago. He said it’s caused him to “just be grateful for life” as he spends the NBA hiatus with his family in Georgia.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 15, 2020

"It’s been one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to deal with," Howard told reporters. "It’s really hard, especially during this time. There’s nowhere to go. Usually if things are happening, we have basketball or something to keep our minds going. But a situation like this, it’s a situation that I’ll have to deal with forever because of our child."

We can't even fathom what Howard is going through, and not having basketball as an escape must be making things even more difficult for him.

Sad news. Dwight Howard said that the mom of his 6-year-old son died about 6 weeks ago unrelated to COVID-19. This whole time has given him perspective on various issues.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 15, 2020

The eight-time All-Star was able to attend Rios' funeral in Nevada, and he has since been quarantining with his five kids at his home in Georgia, which he claimed is helping him cope with the tragedy.

Our thoughts go out to Howard, his son and the Rios family amid their attempts to push through this trying time.