Frank Ocean (real name Christopher Breaux) seems to have suffered a major personal loss this weekend: It is reported that the singer’s younger brother, Ryan Breaux, passed away at 18 years old as the result of a car crash.
KABC and CBSLA report that Breaux — along with Ezekial Bishop, a friend and fellow recent graduate of Oak Christian High School — died in a single-vehicle collision early Sunday morning (August 2) in Thousand Oaks, California. As a result of the crash, the car was cut in half upon impact with a tree and burst into flames. Law enforcement responded to a call of smoke in the area at about 1:30 a.m. near Skelton Canyon Circle. The occupants of the vehicle were pronounced dead on the scene. The Ventura County Medical Examiner has not officially confirmed the identity of either victim, but friends gathered near the scene for a memorial named Breaux and Bishop as the victims.
Ocean fans are familiar with Breaux, or at the very least, they’ve heard his voice before: An interview conducted by Breaux appears on Ocean’s Blond track “Futura Free.” Ocean has yet to publicly address Breaux’s reported death.
Friends of Breaux have shared condolences online, including Pierce Brosnan’s son Paris Brosnan, who posted photos of them together, a screenshot of a text conversation between them, and wrote, “Thank you for being there for me when I needed you most, thank you for all the wild nights, thank you for your music and all the late night studio sessions with Fray, thank you for blessing us ALL with your presence on this earth. I will carry you in my heart always. Until I see you again brother.”
