Kandi Burruss' ex-fianceé AJ Jewell was tragically killed

Everyone’s favourite former Real Housewives star, Kandi Burruss, has confirmed she and Todd Tucker are divorcing after 11 years of marriage.

Conversations have naturally turned to the major relationships that shaped her past. One of the most heartbreaking chapters involves her former fiancé, AJ Jewell, whose death in 2009 was a huge moment not just in her personal life but in early Real Housewives of Atlanta history.

Kandi and Todd are divorcing

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So yes, it’s official. Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker are divorcing. The pair met back during RHOA filming, got engaged in 2013, and were married in April 2014. They’ve built businesses together, worked on a ton of TV projects, and welcomed two children, so this breakup is definitely significant for the Burruss-Tucker household.

Kandi recently shared that the decision wasn’t easy, but she’s choosing to move into a new chapter and focus on her peace, her kids, and keeping things respectful as they co-parent, per People. She also asked for a bit of space while the family figures out their new normal.

It’s been described as a tough but thoughtful transition rather than a messy split. Although it’s safe to say people are sharing some messy memes on X, throwing it back to the days of Mama Joyce openly hating on Todd from the start.

What happened to Kandi’s ex AJ Jewell?

Before Todd, there was Ashley ‘AJ’ Jewell. RHOA viewers will remember him as Kandi’s fiancé during her earlier seasons on the show, and his death is something that shook both her life and the show at the time.

In October 2009, AJ was involved in a violent altercation outside an Atlanta strip club. He suffered severe head injuries and was taken to Piedmont Hospital, where he later passed away at the age of 34. Police charged a man named Frederick Richardson in connection with the fight, and AJ’s death was officially ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, per 6abc.

There was a lot of media attention around the case, partly because of Kandi’s rising profile and partly because there were lingering questions about whether AJ’s underlying sickle cell condition played a role in how quickly his health deteriorated.

At one point, there was even discussion about exhuming his body for a second autopsy, per CBS. It was a deeply emotional and confusing time for Kandi, who was grieving while also dealing with the spotlight.

Kandi ‘broke down’ at the hospital

Speaking during a RHOA reunion episode, she said: “That day I talked to him on the phone, like a couple of hours before I got the call that he was in the hospital… He was stressed out about the club that he was trying to buy into. So, I know he was stressed about a lot of things, but I wasn’t there when it happened. But, I was just told that he had got into a fight with the manager at the club… they were having issues or whatever, and I guess it just kind of boiled over.

“I still don’t really know the exact cause of death. People speculated so many things. All I know is when I saw his body, he didn’t have any bruises, scratches or anything on him to look like he had been beaten up…”

She broke down in tears and continued: “AJ, he just looked like himself. And, it was just unbelievable. It was just weird, shocking, unbelievable to see somebody you just talked to… the doctor said he stopped breathing by the time he got here… I kind of went numb, you know?”

Kandi added how she broke down at the hospital after finding out AJ had passed.

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