Dana Carvey announced that his son Dex died due to an accidental drug overdose at 32 years old.
“Last night we suffered a terrible tragedy. Our beloved son, Dex, died of an accidental drug overdose. He was 32 years old.” Carvey, 68, wrote in a joint statement with wife Paula Zwagerman via Instagram on Thursday, November 16. “Dex packed a lot into those 32 years. He was extremely talented at so many things — music, art, film making, comedy — and pursued them passionately.”
He continued: “It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dex loved life. And when you were with him, you loved life too. He made everything fun. But most of all, he loved his family, his friends and his girlfriend Kaylee.”
While recounting memories of his beloved son, Carvey shared that Dex would make his loved ones “handmade birthday cards” that were a “treasure.”
“We’ll miss him every day,” the comedian concluded. “To anyone struggling with addiction or who loves someone with addiction, you are in our hearts and prayers.”
Carvey posted a series of photos of Dex in subsequent posts. One featured a solo shot of Dex smiling. The second picture showed Carvey and his son collaborating and sharing a laugh.
“Dex and me working together,” he captioned the image. “What a joy.”
Several of Carvey’s former Saturday Night Live costars took to the comments section to share their heartfelt condolences with the actor.
“Such devastating news. I’m beyond sorry for your loss. ❤️❤️,” Chris Kattan replied, while current cast member Kenan Thompson wrote: “Oh my God!!! I’m so so sorry!!!! 🙏🏾❤️.”
Jim Gaffigan, meanwhile, expressed his sympathies for Carvey and implored him to share more about Dex.
“What a great picture. Love the focus you are putting on telling us about Dex,” he penned. “Such a lovely tribute to your boy. Please tell us more.”
Before his death, Dex was following in his father’s comedic footsteps. He snagged roles in the 2013 miniseries, The Funster, which starred Carvey and 2015’s Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser. In 2016, Dex opened for his dad’s Netflix special Straight White Male. He was also a founder of Third Wheel Comedy, a live performance venue in Hollywood.
Four days before news broke of his passing, Dex shared potential artwork for his upcoming project with B-Sides Comic.
“B-Sides comic over option,” he captioned the image via Instagram. “Featuring Gus, Sketch the Riff Rat, Kev @dexcarvey and Devin the Dude! @devindude420 Only on Kickstarter.”
In addition to Dex, Carvey and Zwagerman share son Thomas who was born in 1994.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
