“He’s the reason I got through it, honestly. For real, for real.” A devastated Lil Duval reflected on the traumatizing events surrounding the ATV accident that temporarily took away his mobility and was marked by the tragic deaths of his close friends, comedian CoolAide and businessman Claybourne Evans Jr., also known as Grand Hustle or simply Clay.
Lil Duval, born Roland Powell, spoke about his near death experience on the Flagrant podcast with comedians Andrew Schulz, Akaash Singh, Mark Gagnon, and editor AlexxMedia. While riding an ATV in the Bahamas, a car behind Lil Duval attempted to pass him at a high speed as he was making a turn. The vehicle hit the ATV, slinging the comedian out of his seat. Lil Duval suffered a broken hip and several injuries.
Before Lil Duval’s accident, his best friend, Detroit comedian CoolAide, died from a long battle of cancer. Then, the ATV accident happened. During his recovery, Clay supported Lil Duval by visiting him in the hospital and even pushing his wheelchair throughout his stand-up performances as he did at the One MusicFest.
Months later, Clay passed away in the hospital from an undisclosed matter on March 24, 2023, the day after Duval was finally able to walk. The “Smile B*****” music artist is known for his positive perspective, but admits this period of his life was one of the toughest.
“Everything was like a movie, my life be like a damn movie,” said Lil Duval on the podcast. “It’s like, ‘Is this the part here?’ I always know life is up and down, but when you in that s*** it’s like, ‘Damn, that’s that part of the movie.'”
Lil Duval broke down in tears speaking on the series of events and the loss of Clay, who Duval calls a “genuine person.” The depth of Duval’s sorrow quieted the room. With the encouragement of Schulz, Singh, Gagnon, and AlexxMedia, Duval allowed himself to be vulnerable and transparent.
Duval continued, “Genuine people, I hold on to them, and [Clay] was one of them.”
Watch The Hilarious And Heartbreaking Interview Below
