You just never know when happiness can turn into sadness. One moment, you are laughing with your loved ones. The next moment, you are missing the time you spend with them. One friendly suggestion: whether it’s your family or close friends, don’t you dare forget to cherish every second you have with them. Because life can be a bit unpredictable, you know. Just take a look at Jayden Daniels’ family. They are going through what you say is a sorrowful period moments after experiencing jubilation. So, what happened?

Today, Daniels’ mom, Regina Jackson’s Instagram story took us by surprise. Sharing a family photo with us where Daniels and his sister Bianca were present, Regina’s throwback picture had a sad story to it. While everyone in that photo looked happy, Daniels’ mom couldn’t believe how cruel life can be. “You were just celebrating with us RIP, Hector,” Regina wrote in her story. Well, she may not have shared more details. But judging by her distraught reaction—Hector was definitely someone close to the Daniels.

So, obviously, if you think from Regina’s perspective, losing someone suddenly isn’t something you prepare yourself to go through. It just hits you on the soul and takes you back on the memory lane. All those smiles you shared together—all those moments you captured can easily bring tears to even the strongest souls out there. And she was not alone in her grief for Hector. Daniels also shared the same picture on his story to send his final regards to Hector, “Real one! always showed love. Celebrated the biggest moments. rest easy bro.”

Actually, this isn’t the first gut-wrenching story we got from the Daniels family. 8 days back, unlike his mom this time, it was Daniels sharing a tragic story.

There, he added no extra details or a long speech, just a few words straight from the heart, “Till next time bro..One thing u did was live life to the fullest.” Reading through those words alone, it’s pretty easy to guess how close Daniels was to his friend. So, seeing him leave his side forever definitely took a toll on Daniels’ emotions. Besides sending an emotional tribute to his unnamed friend, Daniels also took some time out of his busy schedule to remember his grandparents. Who weren’t just family to him—they were his role models.

Jayden Daniels grieves for his deceased grandparents

See, of course, you can never take away the unconditional love of your parents. But they aren’t the only ones in your family who serve as a bedrock to you. I mean whenever you quarrel with your mom and dad. It’s always the grandparents who console us and make us feel comfortable. They take us in their arms and save us from scolding. So, when you suddenly realize they aren’t there with you anymore. Of course, it’s going to hit you hard. And that’s what happened with Jayden Daniels. He lost both of his grandparents, William and Betty, in 2021 because of COVID-19.

Yep, his grandparents were also the victims of the deadly outbreak that, one way or the other, took someone special away from us. Still, even after 4 years, Daniels profoundly remembers the impact they had on his life. “miss y’all,” Daniels wrote in his Ig story while sharing the gravestone of his grandparents.

Later, he also added with a heavy heart, “You think grandparents will live forever? But moving through that grief, as hard as it was, taught me something important. It opened up my perspective on life. I learned that you really gotta love the ones that love you, because you never when that time might be up.”

Daniels’ grandpa William wasn’t just his grandparent. He was way more than that. William was Daniels’ best friend, his personal Uber driver who didn’t charge anything but gave the Commanders QB life lessons. “My grandpa was there every step of the way, for 20 years of my life. He was the one who always picked me up from school and took me to practice. We’d always be laughing and cracking jokes. He was like my best friend.” 

What about his grandma, Betty? Well, she stayed off the radar. But Betty ensured Daniels never forgot his roots. Jayden grandma wanted him to always be humble and stay grounded no matter how popular he can be. With that being said, Daniels has definitely turned his pain into fuel. He hasn’t allowed grieve take over his mind. Instead, it’s their memories that have surely pushed Daniels into the star he is today.