Lauri Peterson, who was one of the original stars on the reality TV series “Real Housewives of Orange County,” is mourning the death of her son, Josh Waring. She announced the sad news in a lengthy and heartfelt Instagram post that also included multiple pictures of her son.
In the post, Peterson shared the her son died on Easter Sunday. He was only 35 years old. While she did not come right out and say the cause of her son’s death, she did mention that he had been struggling with “substance abuse disorder” and thanked “those who have supported me through this journey and offering kind words of encouragement by sharing their stories of living with substance abuse disorder and the many parents that have shared their stories over the years with me about the children they have sadly lost due to this illness.”
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Peterson shared some of the things her son was passionate about, writing, “Josh’s childhood was filled with deep intellect, humor, pranks, athletics, snow boarding, body boarding mountain hikes, reading, friends and his love for music. Even during adult hardship, Josh continued to maintain his sense of humor, continued to be optimistic, continued to be kind to others, defended those that were unable to defend themselves and continued to love his family so so much! He received the most joy, pride and purpose through his daughter Kennady and watching her grow and thrive over the years.”
She also shared how heartbreaking the loss of her son is. She described herself as having “a shattered heart.” She added, “No one can ever prepare you for this feeling of such deep loss. Every fiber in my body hurts.”
At the end of her post, she wrote directly to her son, telling him, “Josh I love you so much and I will miss you terribly! I will forever be your “Mama Bear & Mama Dukes” and every time the clock turns to 11:11, I will expect your call to tell me to make a wish! What will I wish for now? My heart is with you and I pray you have found the peace that you so deserve. Heaven has gained the coolest angel and you have gained your freedom at last sweet boy. Love always and forever, Mom.”
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The police told TMZ that Waring most likely died of a drug overdose. Police arrived at a motel in Orange County around 11:30am on Easter Sunday after he had failed to check out of the motel on time. That’s when they found his dead body in the motel room. The police do not suspect foul play at this time, and they are waiting on the results of the toxicology reports.
Peterson previously shared her son’s struggles with substance abuse. She quit “Real Housewives” to focus on her family, and in 2016, she spoke about her son’s struggles including dealing with a time he was arrested and charged with murder. Watch the video below to hear Peterson talk about her son’s struggles through the years.
According to The Daily Mail, Waring is survived by his daughter, his mother, his father, and his sisters.
