The friend of Tyrese Haliburton’s fiancée who unexpectedly died during her lavish St. Barts bachelorette getaway had been a central figure in the festivities leading up to the couple’s wedding, heartbreaking photos show.
Before suddenly dying from undisclosed health complications on June 8 – just two days after celebrating her 26th birthday during the Caribbean trip – Makenzi Kern appeared beaming alongside bride-to-be Jade Jones at her April bridal shower.
Kern, dressed in a pale blue maxi dress with side cutouts, was seen posing cheerfully with friends and even hoisting Jones up into the air, in a playful nod to their years cheering together at Iowa State University.
Jones’ close friendship with Kern – as well as her romance with the now two-time NBA All Star – both kicked off during her collegiate career, which ended in 2020.
“The bridal shower of my literal DREAMS!!!!!” Jones captioned a carousel of photos from the shower, held at a ritzy steakhouse in downtown Chicago.
Kern – whose family does not believe foul play, drugs or alcohol contributed to her mysterious death – also appeared smiley and carefree in photos taken in the first several days of Jones’ bachelorette trip.
Instagram snaps shared by Jones and members of her 13-woman bridal crew show Kern grinning widely with her arms outstretched while sporting a blue two-piece outfit, surrounded by similarly-dressed friends, with Jones standing at the center in white.
The suntanned squad posed by the pool, on a boat and along the picturesque oceanfront as they celebrated with champagne toasts to “Hali Ever After” – a playful nod to Haliburton’s last name – before the idyllic trip suddenly devolved into tragedy.
Kern’s family said that she died while “surrounded by her closest friends on a once in a lifetime trip to St. Barthelemy Island,” according to an online obituary.
“She loved boating with her dad, water skiing, and got to try out a seabob for the first time in St Barths. According to her friends, they had to drag her off because she loved it so much, evidence that she was having an amazing time,” her family wrote.
The Iowa native is remembered by her loved ones as someone who “lived life to the fullest” and “could brighten everyone’s spirits when she was around.”
Kern graduated from Iowa State University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and was working as a Membership Director for a YMCA in Omaha at the time of her death.
“Kenz was dedicated to her job, her friends and her beloved pets; especially her cat Dusty. She never wanting to let anyone down or upset them,” her obituary said.
“So much so even as a child she would let all of the kids on the playground go down the slide first saying ‘you go first, I’ll get a turn later.’”
Kern is survived by her parents, stepparents, sister, stepsiblings, grandparents and her boyfriend.
Jones and Haliburton have been together for more than seven years since their relationship kicked off during his time as a guard for the Iowa State Cyclones.
Haliburton was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2020 before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2022.
The couple is set to tie the knot on Aug. 1, according to an online wedding registry.
