ST. LOUIS — St. Louis native, football star and community staple Demetrious Johnson died Saturday of an aortic dissection, a rare condition in which a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body's main artery, at a St. Louis hospital.
He was 61 years old. Demetrious Johnson, or "DJ," was a defensive back at the University of Missouri and later in the NFL.
He helped countless St. Louis-area families and athletes through the Demetrious Johnson Foundation, which has been around for over 30 years. The foundation bettered the lives of underprivileged children and families in the St. Louis area.
It hadn’t even been a full day since he died, but on this Christmas, his family and friends were already giving back to the community in his name.
“My dad had the biggest heart," his daughter Taylore Johnson said.
Taylore and Ashley Johnson-Chin spent Christmas without their dad Demetrious Johnson for the first time ever.
“My dad really left a legacy, an inspiration, to always put giving back at the center of what we do," Ashley Johnson-Chin said.
It wasn't just family mourning his loss.
“DJ reached out to me and kind of showed me the ropes of St. Louis," Saint Louis University head basketball coach Travis Ford said.
Ford said Johnson was a mentor to him and several of his players.
On this Christmas morning, DJ’s heart was celebrated most. His family and friends carried on the annual Demetrious Johnson toy giveaway.
“We’re going out to provide toys, to provide different supplies to make Christmas amazing for these special families that have been selected," Taylore said.
And, like DJ himself, this tradition has an even deeper meaning.
“When he was a child, he had people who came in every Christmas Eve to support and provide gifts for him and his family. Because of that, he wanted to give back and do the same," Taylore said.
Although DJ is gone, his love for helping others remains.
“It was contagious. He really helped me understand about giving back and what a difference it could make," Ford said.
It made this Christmas one DJ would’ve loved.
Taylore Johnson said they will keep her father’s foundation alive. She also said they’ll continue his Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions, though both might look a little different.
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