Retired heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson and his large family

Mike Tyson parents

Jimmy “Curlee” Kirkpatrick (father)

Year of birth:  1924

Year of death: 2001 (age 68)

He was practically non-existent in the life of his son. Jimmy was one of his neighbourhood’s top baseball players. When Mike was two years old, Kirkpatrick abandoned his wife and kids leaving them to struggle financially. Tyson had to be raised in a community with a high rate of crime and this contributed to his violent nature.

Lorna Mae Smith (mother)

Year of Birth: 1927

Year of Death: 1982 (age 55)

Mama Mike has had a great influence on her son but sadly this role was more negative than positive. She had a formidable presence that ended up skewing his perceptions of women. Because of his mother’s slick nature, Mike ended up seeing women as equals in physical confrontation. She was one hot mother who responded to life violently, she also manifested this in her child raising.

Lorna never believed in her son. Even when he started doing well in boxing and his name was everywhere, Smith considered him insane. To her, Mike was a good for nothing son who had let her hopes down countless number of times. She only knew ‘Iron Mike’ as one wild kid that was known as a street fighter. Lorna died to cancer when Tyson was 16 leaving him in the care of his surrogate father and trainer Cus D’Amato.

Cus D’Amato (surrogate father, a trainer)

Date of birth: January 17, 1908

Date of death: November 4, 1985 (age 77)

Camille Ewald (surrogate mother, her sister was married to Cus’ elder brother)

Year of birth:  1905

Year of death: 2001 (age 96)

Cus did use Camille’s bid Victorian house in Catskill, as a year-round training camp for his boxers. Mike did also live there. Camille said that one day Mike brought home a friend and introduced her as his mother. The friend was shocked because of her white skin.

Mike Tyson siblings

Rodney Tyson (elder brother from same parents)

Rodney is five years older than his boxer brother, Tyson. They lived in the slum growing up but today, Rodney is a trauma surgeon. He is in fact one of the No 1 trauma guy in the country. Sadly these brothers, do not see each other so often. Mike says his family is not one of those families with close ties, he blames this on the many demons and pains in his family.

Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick (he can be half-brother or step-brother from previous Jimmy Kirkpatrick’s relationships)

In interview to Chicago tribune Mike said that he had a step-brother from North Carolina who was a high school football star. Other sources say that Jimmie is Tyson’s half-brother. 

Denise Anderson (nee Tyson) (sister from same parents)

Mike’s sister Denise with husband and kids

Year of Birth: 1966

Year of Death: February 21, 1990 (age 24)

She died at the age of 24 due to a heart attack. She was the only sister Mike had and he loved her dearly in the midst of his trouble-filled childhood. He was closed with her and spoke on the phone often. Denise had two kids with her husband Roger, daughter Erica and son Roger Jr.