Jacqueline Towns, the mother of NBA-All Star player Karl-Anthony Towns, passed away on Monday due to health complications on account of contracting the infection from the novel coronavirus, according to a statement from a Towns family spokesperson released by Towns' team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"The Towns family is heartbroken by the untimely passing of Jacqueline Towns due complications as a result of COVID-19," the statement said.
She had been "battling the virus for more than a month" when she ultimately succumbed to it, according to the statement.
Towns made his mother's struggle with Covid-19 public in an emotional video released in late March. In it, he announced that his mother had been put on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. He said he shared the video in the hopes that everyone would stay at home.
Prior to publicly sharing his mother's critical condition, Towns made a USD 100,000 donation to the Mayo Clinic to assist in effort to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
A handful of NBA players sent their condolences on Twitter.
"Wow... I hope everybody is taking this pandemic seriously... Continue to Pray for every family through this tough time, and hold your Loved ones Close," Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young tweeted on Monday.