“My Brother Died”: Charles Barkley’s Unfolds Dark Past With Dr*gs That Cost Life of His Loved One

Charles Barkley’s life from his troubled childhood leading into the NBA was rife with sadness and important life lessons from that. While on Club Shay Shay, he didn’t mince his hard stance against dr*gs that came from his own grief. Chuck was one of four brothers. However, he sadly lost two of them. While his youngest brother passed away very young, he had about four decades with his brother, Darryl, and saw him go through too many ups and downs. Darryl’s troubled life and demise left a mark on Chuck that he could never forget.

He’d seen firsthand through Darryl the physical and financial damage addiction did to someone. “My brother died. I think he was forty when he died. He got his life together, but he had done so much damage to his body and it just gave out,” Barkley told Sharpe. He reflected on one opportunity he was almost dragged into the world. What stopped him was the realization that the money could do a lot of good than being wasted on dr*gs.

Darryl unfortunately didn’t have that realization early on. He battled substance abuse for most of his life. He sobered but was diagnosed with a heart condition. Chuck’s brother even underwent a heart transplant in 2003. Barkley once told the media he was ecstatic to find out his brother had a donor.

Sadly, Darryl passed away in 2009 at the age of 40. He reportedly suffered a heart attack. It was their mother who found him unresponsive in their home. That trauma stayed with the whole family.

Charles Barkley keeps up Darryl’s memory

Besides Chuck, Darryl is survived by their half-brother, John Glenn, and their mother. Chuck said that his mother was still not over Darryl’s death at the time of her own demise in 2015 and he doesn’t want other families to go through that. Between his transplant and his passing, Darryl had dedicated his life to helping others who went through addiction. Barkley has continued his legacy.

Shannon Sharpe is not the first NFL pro whom Chuck has told his story. Johnny Manziel and Josh Gorden got heartfelt pleas from Barkley to turn their lives around and not end up like his brother. Each time, he says he takes the “dr*g stuff” seriously because of Darryl. Manziel accepted Chuck’s appeal and promised to do better.

Barkley had a tough childhood in Leeds, Alabama. He was surrounded by difficult lifestyles but he chose to stay on the athletic track, get an education, and find a way to take care of his family, whether it’s through the NBA or otherwise. Today he’s an outspoken media personality and he’s using that to save more lives like Darryl.