Bobbi Kristina Brown’s Ex-Boyfriend Nick Gordon Dead At 30 After New Year's Overdose

Nick Gordon, the former boyfriend of the late Bobbi Kristina Brown, died on New Year’s Day at the age of 30, multiple outlets have reported.

Gordon died of a drug overdose in Florida, his brother, Jack Walker Jr., confirmed to PEOPLE. He told the outlet that he and his family are “devastated” by Gordon’s death.

“He leaves a void in the hearts of my family and his friends,” he said. “Nick’s battle in life was not an easy one. I will be forever grateful that my God afforded a small moment at the very end of Nick’s life, and I was able to hold his hand as he journeyed on.”

Gordon suffered a series of heart attacks, and doctors were unable to bring him back to life after he was taken to a local hospital, The Daily Mail reports, citing anonymous sources.

His death comes nearly five years after that of his then-girlfriend, Bobbi Kristina Brown. The daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, Bobbi Kristina was found unresponsive in a bathtub in January 2015; she stayed in a coma for six months before dying at the age of 22.

Her death came three years after her mother died in disturbingly similar circumstances. 

Brown’s family accused Gordon of being responsible for Brown’s death, claiming in a wrongful death lawsuit that he was physically abusive toward Brown and had given her a “toxic cocktail” to render her unconscious before putting her face-down in a bathtub, leading to brain damage that would ultimately prove fatal, according to CNN. 

Gordon denied the claims against him, but after failing to appear for two court hearings, Brown’s family won the case by default in 2016, according to CNN. A judge declared Gordon legally responsible for Brown’s death and ordered him to pay $36 million dollars to her family.

Gordon and Brown knew each other from a young age; Houston began raising Gordon at the age of 12, and the two grew up alongside one another, according to the Associated Press. They did not announce their romantic relationship until after Houston’s passing, however.

Gordon’s attorney, Joe Habachy, also confirmed his death in a statement obtained by CNN, but did not comment on the cause.

“My heart is heavy today after learning that my long time client Nick Gordon died. ... While I cannot speak to the specific circumstances of his death, I can say that it's been truly heartbreaking to have witnessed first hand the total devastation that drug addiction has wreaked upon a group of young friends, all of whom were loved and had immense potential,” his statement reads.

Gordon’s brother mourned his passing in a heartfelt Facebook post on Wednesday, sharing photos of himself posing with his brother throughout the years.

“New Years didn’t have to start like this and you just told me you HAD to see me for New Years but I’m blessed I got to talk to you last night you will forever be my best friend nobody will ever take your place,” the post reads, in part.

Prior to his death, Gordon's legal troubles included multiple domestic violence arrests.