Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval’s late friend Ali Rafiq was found dead at his parents’ house, according to a new report.
Rafiq’s sister, Rabia Rafiq, told TMZ that her mother found Ali on the floor of her St. Louis, Missouri, home Friday afternoon.
It appeared as if Ali had fallen and hit his head on a table, Rabia shared with the outlet. He was 37.
Her mother discovered Ali around 4 p.m. that day — about three hours after they believe he passed away.
Rabia also told TMZ that her brother had no known illnesses other than asthma, which was never a serious issue for him.
Ali’s sister also shared that there were no signs of foul play, and no indicators as to why he collapsed.
Rabia revealed that Ali’s death certificate lists “organ failure” as the cause of death, but the family is waiting for toxicology reports to see if there’s more to the story.
She previously said there wouldn’t be an official cause of death “for weeks” pending test results.
The Rafiqs buried Ali Saturday shortly after his body was released to them.
Amid the ongoing drama surrounding Sandoval’s affair with Raquel Leviss, the wannabe rocker and Madix mourned the loss of their late friend separately after hearing of his unexpected death.
“The love I have for you is way beyond words I will carry u forever in my heart,” Sandoval, 40, who knew Rafiq since childhood, wrote on social media.
“Always cherishing the beautiful memories, uncontrollable laughter, and epic experiences we had together. You were My best friend, my brother. I’ll catch u on the next sunrise…
5min/5hour 5or500.”
Madix, 37, who looked despondent when she was photographed leaving LAX airport Saturday, also paid tribute to Ali, whom she met through her now-ex-boyfriend.
“I keep wanting to text you. it feels like this can’t even be real. we were just planning your trip to LA. talking about our futures and all the things we were looking forward to,” she began a lengthy post shared via her Instagram Story.
“i miss our talks about life. i miss sending each other cat memes. i miss geeking out over food. or dj videos. i miss you bringing your turntables over. i miss us both wanting to go home but still staying out and having fun. i miss cut copy and chromeo songs.”
