Young Dolph’s partner of nearly a decade and the mother of his two children Mia Jaye spoke about the late rapper on Wednesday (Jan. 12) during her first televised interview since his death. In a conversation with Linsey Davis of ABC News, Jaye opened up about how the shooting death of Young Dolph, born Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., has impacted their family.
“It’s been extremely difficult…just having to pick up the pieces and to find the strength for my children, most importantly,” she shared. “That is the one thing that Adolph and myself, that we just, we felt we had a duty to them. To protect them, to raise them, to just do so much for them, and together. Now that he’s no longer here, it’s just very tough for me to be strong for them and also be strong for myself because Adolph, that was my soulmate. When I say they stole my future…it has taken a long time to iron out the kinks.”
Jaye also described how her relationship with the “Get Paid” rapper was evolving and how they maintained a strong bond despite Young Dolph’s celebrity lifestyle.
“Being with a celebrity, someone who is very busy that’s on the road a lot…family can take a back seat,” she expressed. “He finally made the sacrifices and was present. We were doing things like planning our wedding…having a surprise wedding to celebrate with our family and friends. After being with him almost a decade and getting to that point where we can cement our love, celebrate our love story with the people that we love most, our children. That’s been taken from me and to find strength in it all has been very difficult for me.”
Jaye also spoke about her campaign Black Men Deserve To Grow Old, which she launched after the death of her brother and named her two favorite Young Dolph songs: “Foreva” by Young Dolph featuring T.I. and “You Got It” by Vedo featuring Young Dolph and Money Man.
“They’re both my favorite because I call them my song[s]. I feel like he was speaking to me, he was speaking about me.”
On Thursday (Jan. 13), a third suspect was arrested for the murder of Young Dolph. Shondale Barnett, 27, was charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Justin Johnson, the alleged gunman, faces a murder charge and is currently being held on a federal probation violation stemming from a previous case. Cornelius Smith, another alleged participant in Dolph’s murder, was arrested in Mississippi last month on an auto-theft warrant related to the getaway car used in the shooting.
Watch Mia Jaye’s full interview below.