Mystery surrounds death of NBA fiancée's girlfriend at St. Barts bachelorette party.

Mystery surrounds the death of a 26-year-old woman at an NBA fiancée's bachelorette party in St. Barts. Rumors about the cause of death are swirling online.

Makenzi Kern died on June 8. She was surrounded by close friends on a trip to St. Barthelemy Island. An online obituary states she passed away just two days after her birthday.

A source told TMZ that Kern died unexpectedly from health complications. Her family does not suspect foul play. They also believe her death is not related to drugs or alcohol.

Some claim she suffered a sudden heart attack. Others speculate her death resulted from a reaction to mRNA COVID vaccines. One social media post said, "Sounds sudden and vaxxy." A vaccine critic added that record premature deaths will continue.

There is no evidence linking her death to the vaccine. Kern was working as a membership director for a YMCA in Nebraska.

Photos from June 6 show Kern enjoying St. Barts beaches and a boat trip. Her fiancée, Jade Jones, posted these images online. Kern attended Iowa State University with Jones and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.

Kern was a cheerleading teammate of Jones. Neither Haliburton nor Jones has commented on the tragedy. Kern is survived by her parents, step-parents, sister, step-siblings, grandparents, and boyfriend.

Her obituary notes she loved the water. She once convinced her mother to swim in a rainstorm at Disneyworld. She enjoyed boating with her father and tried a seabob for the first time in St. Barts.

Jones and Haliburton have been together for more than seven years. Haliburton was drafted in 2020 and traded to the Indiana Pacers. He led the team to the 2025 NBA Finals. He suffered an Achilles injury and missed the 2025-26 season.