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Mike Tyson Opens Up About His “Pimp” Father While Explaining “Beautiful Process of Dying” When Asked How Would He Want His Kids to Remember Him

Published 06/04/2023, 5:19 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

In another three weeks, ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson would celebrate his fifty-seventh birthday. It could be due to aging, the vast spectrum of experiences he lived through, or maybe a mixture of both that adds to Tyson’s profundity. He has authored a book on his life. But perhaps, given the myriad life experiences he had, even one book may prove to be insufficient to portray his whole life. He shared some of those beliefs in Hotboxin’s latest edition.

So in the latest episode of his podcast, Mike Tyson and DJ Whoo Kid got to play host to Columbian songwriter and singer J Balvin. ‘The Prince of Reggaeton’ has received many awards, including the Billboard, Latin Grammy, and MTV Video Music. He remains one of the biggest acts to have come out of Latin America recently.

Mike Tyson puts on the philosopher’s hat yet again

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So, before the thirty-minute mark, the trio discussed the mental health issues and gradually changed directions to family, especially kids. Balvin told how the birth of his son Rio changed his life and his perspectives on many aspects. Adding to his point, Whoo Kid pointed out how Tyson once said that after having kids, a person stops thinking about certain things.

Then as the conversation took a more philosophical turn, Balvin asked what Tyson considers as his purpose, to which the former champion replied, “I don’t know happiness, death, not being afraid of death, enjoying death… knowing death is just as beautiful as life and life is just as beautiful as death.” However, curiosity still got there better of the Medellin-based musician.

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He asked, “So how [do] you want people to Remember You? …..how [do] you want your kids to talk about you?” Tyson said, “I don’t know. I think, um, you know the actuality…that’s a beautiful process of dying, just passing through. I want to say my dad said he was just passing through. That’s what it’s all about. It’s passing too, and as we pass through [in] life…”

Even though Tyson’s father abandoned his family when he was still a child, Iron Mike still remembers some of the things that his father used to say to him.

Iron Mike remembers his father

‘The Baddest Man on The Planet’ wants to stay in his children’s thoughts and memories. Recollecting his past with his father, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, Mike Tyson went down memory lane.

“My dad said to me the only thing he could teach me was about bible and pimping. He was a preacher/pimp,” Tyson tweeted.

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As many fans might know, Tyson’s biological father was Purcell Tyson, a cab driver of Jamaican origin. However, his mother married a man named Jimmy Kirkpatrick. Essentially a pimp, Kirkpatrick was the man ‘Iron’ Mike understood as his father. Reportedly he deserted the young family when Tyson was just two years old.

Finally, the entire responsibility of the family fell on his mother, Lorna Mae Tyson. In 1992, Jimmy Kirkpatrick left the world.

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What do you think about Mike Tyson’s views? Do share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Dealing with depression and anger his entire life, Mike Tyson reveals what really causes “mental stress”

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Written by:

Jaideep R Unnithan

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Jaideep Unnithan is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. With over 400 articles authored at ES, Jaideep has built a reputation for diving deep into stories and producing detailed reports. Jaideep's passion for the sport of boxing was ignited when his father shared his experience of watching Ali vs Frazier live in the US.
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Edited by:

Arijit Saha