Dex Carvey, the eldest son of comedian Dana Carvey, died on Wednesday night. He was 32.
Carvey and his wife Paula Zwagerman shared news of their son’s death on Instagram on Thursday.
Using simple white text on a black background, Carvey and Zwagerman said Dex died of an “accidental drug overdose.”
The parents described the loss as a “terrible tragedy.”
“Dex packed a lot into those 32 years. He was extremely talented at so many things–music, art, film making, comedy–and pursued all of them passionately,” they wrote.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dex loved life. And when you were with him, you loved life too,” they continued. “He made everything fun. But most of all, he loved his family, his friends and his girlfriend, Kaylee. Dex was a beautiful person. His handmade birthday cards are a treasure. We will miss him forever.”
Carvey and Zwagerman offered support to others who may be struggling with addiction and recognized those who care for people with substance abuse issues.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said Dex died in his home.
The 68-year-old SNL alum also shared two other social media posts about Dex.
In one, Carvey used a photo of his son and wrote, “F—k the tabloids. This is my boy.”
In another post, Carvey shared a photo of him and Dex working together publicly. The accompanying caption was simple: “What a joy.”
Much like his father, Dex was a comedian and actor. He performed stand-up as an opening act for Carvey’s own 2016 Netflix special Straight White Male. Dex also had acting roles in the movies Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser and The Funster, both of which star Carvey.
Carvey and Zwagerman have been married since 1983. They have one other son, 30-year-old Thomas Carvey, who is also a comedian.
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