Rihanna pays tribute to late cousin on anniversary of his death

Alleyne was shot and killed in Barbados on 26 December 2017

Rihanna has paid tribute to her cousin Tavon Kaiseen Alleyne, who was murdered in Barbados four years ago.

The 33-year-old singer and Fenty founder posted a series of photographs on social media, with every photo showing a different memory of her cousin.

“Miss you and dat smile cuz,” Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, captioned the post, adding the hashtag #Tavon.

Alleyne was shot and killed in Barbados on 26 December 2017.

He was reportedly walking through the Eden Lodge area of St Michael’s on the island when he was shot by a gunman several times before 7pm on boxing day. He was 21 years old.

In response to the news of his death, Rihanna posted a tribute on Instagram at the time, sharing a photo of them together and writing: “RIP cousin... can’t believe it was just last night that I held you in my arms!

“Never thought that would be the last time I felt the warmth in your body!!! Love you always man!” she wrote, adding the hashtag #endgunviolence in the emotional post.

Gun crime was said to have been rife in Barbados in that year with police confirming a significant increase. Figures revealed that 22 of 28 murders in Barbados in 2017 had been gun-related.

According to Insight Crime, the island saw a record 49 murders in 2019, dropping to 42 in 2020. But homicides have still more than doubled since 2012.