Jamie Foxx Creates DeOndra Dixon Fund to Honor Late Sister

Jamie Foxx is honoring his late sister, DeOndra Dixon, with a new fund created in her honor. In October, Foxx had revealed to his followers on Instagram that his younger sister had passed away. Dixon, who had been living with Down syndrome and served as the Ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, was just 36 years old, leaving Jamie and the rest of the family feeling devastated about the loss.

“My heart is shattered into a million pieces,” Foxx said at the time. “DeOndra you have left a hole in my heart… but I will fill it with all of the memories that you gave me… I love you with every ounce of me… our family is shattered but we will put the pieces back together with your love.”

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation also addressed Dixon’s passing on their website, writing in part, “We have lost our talented, intelligent, feisty, beautiful, kind, loving, caring, pure and giving heart, DeOndra Dixon. Our Down syndrome community has lost a beacon of hope, a true leader, and role model whose aim was to always help others. She was a bright light in this world of ours.”

Now, Foxx and his family have collaborated with the Global Down Syndrome Foundation to further honor his sister’s memory. On Saturday, the actor appeared at the organization’s virtual “Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show,” put on to help raise the funding needed for the group to help underwrite life-changing and life-saving research and medical care for those in need. The show pulled in a record-breaking number of $1.9 million dollars.

During the event, Dixon was named and honored as an individual who had spent so much time working with the foundation. Singer Philipp Phillips paid tribute by performing a rendition of the song, “Gone, Gone, Gone.” It was also revealed that she is the inspiration behind the organization’s Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award. Foxx then announced that he was working with Global founder Michelle Sie Whitten to create The DeOndra Dixon Fund, something that would surely make Dixon very proud.

Named as the Ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in 2011, Dixon’s biography on the website noted that she wanted to be a professional dancer. “My brother has given me a chance to do some special things,” DeOndra’s bio also says. “I danced in his video “Blame It.” I’ve danced on stage at some of his concerts all over the country. And guess what? I’ve danced at the Grammys!”

Foxx has previously spoken about the relationship he had with his sister, detailing their bond in a Dateline interview featuring the both of them in 2018. “I learned how to live,” Foxx said of what he’s learned from DeOndra. “Sometimes we get caught up in our world on the extras of everything – ‘Ah, the Mercedes is not the right color!’ And then you see this girl over here, ‘I just want to live. I want to dance. I want to love.’ So she brings you back down to what life is.”

The pain felt by Foxx and the rest of Dixon’s family following her passing seems immeasurable, but the new fund created in her name to help others live better lives is a fantastic way to keep her memory alive. To learn more about the organization or to provide monetary donations to assist the group with their research, education, and advocacy efforts, you can visit the official website for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. This news comes to us from People.