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Jacksonville rapper, singer says he gave family of teen who died on Orlando ride $15K for funeral costs

Family questions if YK Osiris really gave money

23-year-old Jacksonville rapper, R&B singer YK Osiris. (Instagram)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two weeks after Jacksonville rapper and R&B singer YK Osiris offered to help the family of a 14-year-old Missouri teen who fell to his death from a towering Florida amusement ride, the artist said he has donated $15,000.

But the family of Tyre Sampson accused him of lying.

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YK Osiris last month asked his nearly 3 million Instagram followers to help him contact the family of Sampson who died after he dropped out of his seat from a 430-foot, free-fall amusement park ride that is taller than the Statue of Liberty along a busy street in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district not far from Disney World.

RELATED: Attorneys for family of teen who died in fall visit site of Orlando thrill ride

On Saturday, the 23-year-old artist, whose legal name is Osiris Williams, posted a screen recording showing his name on a list of people who donated to an online fundraiser started by Sampson’s mother. It showed Williams gave $15,000.

Osiris Williams, also known as YK Osiris, shared a screen shot on Instagram of his donation to the family of Tyre Sampson. (Instagram)

But the family of Sampson accused Williams of lying about the donation, The Shade Room reported.

On Saturday, TSR uploaded a post purportedly from Sampson’s brother.

“YK Osiri or whatever dude name is cancelled. Used lil bro for pure clout. Didn’t pay a dime but told the world otherwise,” the post read.

“Even posted a fake screenshot of a GoFundMe donation. Stop pretending you about giving back to the community just to get your sales up. Lame as hell,” he continued.

Sampson’s mother, Nekia Dodd, appeared to co-sign her son’s tweet and wrote, “And he blocked me on IG too!”

Williams appeared to respond to the accusations in his Instagram stories, writing: “Why me? I’m not even that type of person fr. I will never play around like that NEVER.”

The rapper also shared a GoFundMe “PSA” that explained why it might take one to two business days for the donation to show up in the fundraiser.

MORE: Florida order calls Orlando FreeFall ride ‘immediate danger to public health’

After apparently making the donation, Williams made a statement on Instagram that appeared to reference his sizable contribution and the controversy behind it.

“It’s a difference doing something from the heart, and doing something for clout,” he wrote. “When u do something genuine, u don’t care what comes with it.”

So far more than 1,000 people have donated to the fundraiser which has more than $34,000 as of Sunday.

It’s worth noting that YK Osiris does have a public history of being in debt to others. He has owed money to Lil Baby, French Montana and Drake and paid off his Drake debt by serenading him a live rendition of “Worth It.”


About the Author
Travis Gibson headshot

Digital Executive Producer who has lived in Jacksonville for over 30 years and helps lead the News4JAX.com digital team.

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