The last week of January 2018 was a particularly dark time for Jordin Sparks. In a span of just days, she experienced the loss of four people close to her. On January 30, Sparks’ stepsister, Bryanna Jackson-Frias (pictured), died from complications of sickle cell anemia, People reported. She was 16. Hours before her stepsister’s death, Sparks had taken to her Instagram Stories to ask for support. “Please keep my little sister, Bryanna, in your prayers,” she wrote. “She’s suffering from complications from sickle cell and is in the ICU fighting for her life.”
A day later, on January 31, Sparks’ friends, the “American Idol” alum Leah LaBelle, and her husband, former NBA player Rasual Butler, died in a car accident in California, TMZ reported. Sparks also lost a younger cousin, Q, around that time. The cause of Q’s death wasn’t revealed, but Sparks paid tribute to all four in a social media post. “Four Angels in a week. My heart is just so heavy & broken. I’m in shock, numb and feel everything all at the same time,” Sparks wrote.
Jackson-Frias’ death inspired Sparks to become engaged in the fight against sickle cell anemia, a disorder that affects the blood flow in the body. “I watched her struggle and saw how it affected her daily life … Seeing Brie’s experience, I had to get involved and use my voice to raise awareness,” Sparks told NIH Medline Plus.
