After months of mourning Love & Marriage: Huntsville star Keke Jabbar and speculation about her death at 42, an autopsy confirmed her cause of death.
Source: KEKE JABBAR / Instagram
The Alabama medical examiner determined that Keke died from carbon monoxide poisoning. TMZ secured a copy of the autopsy report, which states the lab found 64% carboxyhemoglobin in her blood. This compound forms in blood cells when hemoglobin combines with carbon monoxide, which binds 200 times more easily than oxygen.
That deadly amount is 62% higher than the normal level for non-smokers and 59% higher than for smokers. With toxicity this high in Keke’s blood, there was nothing anyone could do by the time she was discovered.
Keke Jabbar’s Official Cause Of Death Matches Initial Statements From The Family
As BOSSIP previously reported, Keke’s husband found her unresponsive in their car in the garage at home in July. The OWN star’s friend, YouTuber JoAnn Jenkins, revealed details about her shocking death in what she called an “official statement” from the family. She initially cited carbon monoxide poisoning, but that was before official confirmation from an autopsy.
“So, seven-something this morning, her husband goes to the garage. He sees Keke, what he thinks is asleep in the car. He tries to get her attention. He opens [the car] up. She isn’t breathing,” Jenkins said.
“Her husband, her life partner, her best friend tried to bring his wife back, the mother of his children, and he couldn’t. Keke passed from carbon monoxide poisoning. That’s it. That is all. My sister didn’t want to leave this Earth, she didn’t want to leave her kids. She didn’t want to leave her husband. There was no turmoil going on in her life. She had a lot of great things to look forward to,” she stated.
Original LAMH cast member LaTisha Scott requested privacy for her family after the shocking news that her cousin passed away. However, the Keke and Latisha were in a feud that fractured the family amid the ongoing dispute.
Jenkins claimed to have close contact with Keke’s husband and mother, speaking on their behalf. She shared the initial information about the circumstances of Keke’s death to shut down speculation that Keke overdosed or took her own life.
The author openly discussed her recovery and struggles with opioid addiction in the hit reality show. Despite her recent legal and family issues, Jenkins claimed Keke was optimistic about the next chapter of her life.
“Keke did not overdose, Keke did not take her own life. Keke loved life. Keke was not ready to leave life. She wasn’t ready to leave her children, her husband or her family,” the vlogger stated.
The toxicology report noted oxycodone and oxymorphone in Keke’s blood. However, carbon monoxide poisoning undeniably led to her death.
Jenkins went on to describe her friend’s final moments as a freak accident. She noted that the Keke was prone to “go to sleep wherever” and struggled with normal sleep habits. This was a dangerous and ultimately deadly issue when she claimed Keke was in the garage working on an issue with her car.
Although carbon monoxide poisoning doesn’t definitively answer whether it happened accidentally or intentionally, Jenkins asserted Keke nodded off in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Read more about Keke Jabbar’s funeral and memorial ceremony after the flip.
Family Feuding Reportedly Continued As Loved Ones Said Goodbye At Keke Jabbar’s Funeral
At Keke’s funeral, friends and family remembered her loving and generous spirit at a ceremony in Bessemer, AL. In addition to the services, WBRC reports they held a balloon release in her honor outside the Bessemer Recreation Center.
“It warms my heart because Keke was such a loving and fun and loyal person. You know, it’s just been amazing reading all of the memories on Facebook and all of the things that people have been sharing about her, the things that they were to her. It’s just been amazing,” said one of Keke’s best friends from high school, Richelle Craig.
While so many of the educator’s loved ones gathered in her memory, it is unclear whether her castmates attended. A man claiming to be Keke’s uncle spoke out to ask the LAMH cast, including her cousin LaTisha and aunt Wanda, to stay away from the ceremony. He revealed that the show and family fallout tormented Keke in her last months and “did everything possible to push her over the edge.”
“We peaceful people, we don’t want no problems, we don’t want issues. Do not attend any service for my niece. Keep her name out your mouth. Stop going to these bloggers feeding them information about what’s going on because you don’t know what’s going on,” Ellis Dawson said before asking everyone on bad terms with Keke before her death to “keep the same energy you showed when she was alive.”
Our condolences go out to Keke Jabbar’s family and friends. She will be remembered as a vibrant and beloved writer, professor, wife and mother.