JTG Pays Tribute to WWE 'Cryme Tyme' Partner Shad Gaspard with Emotional Post

JTG (Jayson Anthony Paul) tweeted an emotional tribute to his longtime tag team partner Shad Gaspard, who died after being caught in a riptide while swimming with his son in Venice Beach, California, earlier this month.

"I want to say thank you to all the friends, fans and family who reached out to me and Shad's family during this difficult time. The outpour of love and support has definitely helped me get through this. I have my moments where I'm in disbelief and feeling a tremendous amount of hurt, but as soon as I start to reminisce about Shad and our relationship I begin to smile. I have tons of memories of Shad and I just us chilling for no reason and having a great time, enjoying each other's energy, working out together, traveling the world together.

Laughing about inside jokes that nobody around knew about, doing edibles after a show, then binge eating at Red Lobster, and our favorite roasting each other relentlessly. The relationship that I and Shad had comes along once in a lifetime. If you have a friend or a loved one that you're close to, always try to make an effort to let them know how much you appreciate them. Tomorrow is never promised.

Shad and I always expressed how much we appreciated each other in each other's lives and then follow it up with a good ole fashion roast……just to balance things out. Shad, thank you for always being there for me. You were more than my tag team partner, more than a friend; you were the big brother I always wanted growing up. The world will remember you for what you are. A HERO."

Gaspard's body washed ashore May 20 after rescue workers spent days attempting to find him. Rescuers said Gaspard, 39, instructed them to save his 10-year-old son before disappearing underwater. A lifeguard grabbed his son, Aryeh, who survived and did not require treatment at a hospital.

JTG and Gaspard were best known for their work in WWE as Cryme Tyme, working in the company from 2006 to 2010. They also worked together on the independent circuit since their respective releases from WWE and were still on the scene at the time of Gaspard's death.

The team won tag team championships with six different promotions.