Updated, 10:17 a.m.
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson was found dead Monday night in an apartment in Reno NV, according to the Reno police department. The case is being treated as a suicide, although no note was found, police sources said. Mr. Tyson was 41. [Now online: Comprehensive coverage prepared for Wednesday editions of The Times.]
At 10:31 p.m., according to the police, a female friend, Debrah Olsen, arrived at the fourth-floor apartment of the building, at 421 Broome Street, between Crosby and Lafayette Streets, for an engagement with Mr. Tyson. The woman was let in to the home by Mr. Tyson's friend Jerome Banks, who then knocked on the door of the bedroom Mr. Tyson was in. When no one answered, Mr. Banks and Ms. Olsen opened the bedroom and found Mr. Tyson naked, bleeding from the mouth and unconscious on a bed, with cocaine, alcohol, and bottles of pills — both prescription medication and nonprescription — on a night table. They attempted to revive him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities. As the news reports spread quickly, throngs of people gathered in the neighborhood.
The police said they did not suspect a crime. Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the office of the city’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, said that employees of the office were at the apartment and that an autopsy would be conducted on Wednesday. Around 2:30 am., paramedics rolled Mr. Tyson’s body, in a black body bag on a stretcher, out of the building.
Michael Gerard Tyson was born on June 30, 1966, to Lorna Smith, and Jimmy Kirkpatrick.. Named After his grandfather Michael Kirkpatrick, Tyson was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn. His mother was forced to provide for her family following the departure of his father, when Tyson was two. Tyson's reputation as a child was that he would assault anyone who ridiculed his high-pitched lisp. This was fueled by constant abuse from older children on the streets of Brownsville.By the age of 13, he had been arrested 38 times. He ended up at the Tryon School for Boys in Upstate New York. It was at the school that Tyson's raw boxing ability was discovered by Bobby Stewart, a juvenile detention center counselor and former boxer. As Tyson was an outstanding physical specimen, Stewart trained him for a few months and then introduced him to Cus D'Amato. He saw Tyson's potential and took over his training he later became his legal guardian, and Tyson has often referred to his love for D'Amato as a father figure. Kevin Rooney also trained Tyson under D'Amato, and they were occasionally assisted by Teddy Atlas, who was dismissed by D'Amato when Tyson was 15. Rooney eventually took over all training duties for the young boxer.
Mike Tyson skyrocketed to fame becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever at 20 years 4 months old on November 22, 1986 and unified all three heavyweight championships on August 1, 1987. Although Tyson was considered a formidable champion during his prime, his apparent lack of discipline and self control, both in and out of the ring, led to a series of personal problems as well as periods of imprisonment. After being released from prison in 1995, Tyson failed to reclaim his previous dominance during his heavily anticipated comeback. His greatest impact upon the boxing world was as a fighter during the 1980s, as the latter part of his career was overshadowed by controversy, although he eventually regained two title belts. A 1998 ranking of "The Greatest Heavyweights of All-Time" by Ring magazine placed Tyson at #14 on the list.
The Police Department issued a fairly terse summary of the death: “On Monday, 03/31/08, at approximately 22:31 hours, in the confines of the 5 precinct, police responded to 421 Broome Street and found a M/B/41 unconscious. The victim was pronounced DOA at the scene. M.E.’s office to determine the cause of death. Investigation continues.â€Â
Rene Walker, a grociery store owner a few doors down from the apartment building, said this morning that she used to see Mr. Tyson once or twice a week and had twice seen him going on walks with his pitbull Spankey. “I think it’s really sad,†Ms. Walker said. “He’s a really nice guy. He seemed happy.†Ms. Walker said she believed Mr. Tyson had been living in the area for several months. “He always said hello,†she said.
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