Gavin Porter, Tyler Perry’s nephew, dies by ‘suicide’ while in prison

The nephew of Tyler Perry, US film producer renowned for his 2018 psychological thriller ‘Acrimony’, is dead in what was described as an apparent suicide.

The 26-year-old, known as Gavin Porter, was found lifeless in his cell on Tuesday night at a prison facility near St. Helena Parish in Louisiana, where he was being incarcerated.

According to TMZ, prison officials, who broke the news to Tyler and the rest of his family, claimed that Porter had hanged himself with a bedsheet while in solitary confinement.

It was gathered that he had been placed under solitary after he got into a fight with another inmate over the weekend.

Porter had been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in 2016 after he was convicted for manslaughter over the shooting that caused the death of his father in an argument.

While Porter’s family has been informed there was no foul play leading to his death, reports have it that they are not necessarily buying the story.

Dusty Gates of the Union Parish Sheriff’s department was quoted to have said that authorities are currently investigating the incident and Porter’s body is up for an autopsy.

“There was no one else in the cell at the time he was found dead. Investigators do not suspect a homicide at this time,” Gates was reported to have said while speaking on the incident.