What was meant to be a happy, once-in-a-lifetime tropical getaway ahead of wedding bells has instead ended in unspeakable heartbreak for Jade Jones, the fiancée of Tyrese Haliburton. A bachelorette party to celebrate Jones with her friends at St. Barts was abruptly shattered when one of her closest lifelong friends, 26-year-old Mackenzie (Makenzi) Kern, passed away unexpectedly. The group of tight-knit friends had traveled to the Caribbean island earlier this month to celebrate Jones’ upcoming nuptials to the Indiana Pacers All-Star guard. What started as her documenting the early days of the trip with the usual bachelorette fun on Instagram turned into unexpected tragedy.

According to her obituary, Kern passed away on June 8, 2026, from health complications, just two days after celebrating her 26th birthday on June 6. The family and law enforcement do not suspect drugs, alcohol or foul play in her death. Kern, Jones, and the rest of their party were expected to travel back to the US around the time of her unexpected passing.

“She was surrounded by her closest friends on a once in a lifetime trip to St. Barthelemy Island,” the obituary read.

The sudden death has left the family completely distraught and struggling to process the loss of a dear friend.

A vibrant young woman remembered as someone who “lived life to the fullest; she was silly, goofy and could brighten everyone’s spirits when she was around.”

This is likely going to weigh on Haliburton and Jones’ wedding.

Tyrese Haliburton and Jade Jones shared history with Mackenzie

Tyrese Haliburton and Jade Jones are college sweethearts who also shared a close friendship with Mackenzie Kern, or Kenz, as her loved ones called her.

It was during their shared time cheering for the Cyclones that their close friendship blossomed. As Kenz’s family said, “she deepened her friendships there that she maintained way beyond her days at ISU.”

Jones had been posting about the trip on Instagram the entire time, and they heavily featured Kern, all smiles and happy.

One post was a heartfelt message celebrating Jones’ bachelorette during the trip. Prior to the unimaginable tragedy, Jones had shared a series of celebratory group shots on her personal feeds, captioning a collection of smiling photos with the phrase, “hopped on a flight to cloud 9.”

Kern was prominently featured in several of those joyous frames, smiling alongside her fellow bridesmaids in final memories that have now taken on a deeply somber meaning.

Friends recalled her having an especially joyful time on a seabob during the St. Barts trip – they reportedly had to drag her off it.

Haliburton, now a two-time NBA All-Star, officially proposed to Jones in July 2025 following the NBA Finals period, during which he had suffered an Achilles injury. Kern’s void will be felt within their wedding party.

Kern graduated from Lewis Central High School in 2018, earned a degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State in 2022, and worked as Membership Director at the YMCA of Greater Omaha.

She is survived by her parents, sister Delani (with whom she had recently moved in), boyfriend Alan Dungan, and extended family. A celebration of life is pending.

Since the tragedy, Jones has completely vanished from social media, and neither Haliburton nor any representatives of the bridal party have issued a formal public statement.