Jamie Foxx pays moving tribute to late sister DeOndra Dixon on World Down Syndrome Day

Dixon, who died aged 36 in October, was an ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation

DeOndra Dixon with Jamie Foxx at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s ninth annual Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show on 11 November 2017 in Denver, Colorado (Tom Cooper/Getty Images for Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show)

Jamie Foxx paid a moving tribute to his late sister DeOndra Dixon on World Down Syndrome Day.

The actor shared a photo of Dixon, a former ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, who died in October last year.

“My heart, my breath, my soul,” the actor wrote. “I hear your laughter in the house ... I hear you sliding down the stairs ... my heart ... my breath ... my soul ... I love u DeOndra my angel.”

He added the hashtag #worlddownsyndromeday2021, a global day of awareness observed by the United Nations since 2012.

Back in October last year, Foxx announced his sister’s death in a social media post, sharing a series of photos of his sibling.

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“My heart is shattered into a million pieces,” he wrote at the time. “My beautiful loving sister DeOndra has transitioned ... I say transitioned because she will always be alive ... anyone who knew my sis ... knew that she was a bright light.”

In a profile of herself for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, Dixon once wrote: “I feel I was born to dance. I want to be a professional dancer. My brother has given me a chance to do some special things. I danced in his video [for Foxx’s 2009 single] ‘Blame It.’ I’ve danced on stage at some of his concerts all over the country. And guess what? I’ve danced at the Grammys!”

She added: “Lots of kids with Down Syndrome never get a chance to shine or chase their dreams. Each one has something to offer and each one has a dream. Please help me and my family to advocate for so many beautiful and brilliant children with Down Syndrome who’ve been neglected. Together we will make dreams come true.”

Following Dixon’s death, the foundation paid tribute to her, writing in part: “We have lost our talented, intelligent, feisty, beautiful, kind, loving, caring, pure and giving heart, DeOndra Dixon. Our Down Syndrome community has lost a beacon of hope, a true leader, and role model whose aim was to always help others. She was a bright light in this world of ours.”