Rodney Tyson drew his first breath in the early 1960s, five years before his younger brother, retired professional boxer Mike Tyson, was born. Mike wrote about their upbringing and relationship in his 2013 autobiography, “Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography.”
The former athlete shared that he and Rodney had differing personalities, even going as far as describing his brother as “a weird dude.” While their childhood did have good moments, they barely related to one another. Sadly, they remain distant.
Rodney Tyson Worked in Medicine for Decades
Rodney was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He received his high school diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School and studied medicine afterward. He reportedly also served in the US Navy as a Hospital corpsman.
In 1991, he began working as a Surgical Physician Assistant at the University of Southern California Medical Center and retired in 2021. Following the release of his autobiography, Mike praised his brother:
“He’s the No. 1 trauma guy in the country. He’s awesome. He’s taken bullets out of some of my friends. He’s stitched them up, and they’ve said: ‘Mike, do you know your brother is a surgeon … ‘ I say: ‘Yeah, I know.’”
Rodney Tyson Isn’t Close with His Brother
Growing up together, Mike and Rodney didn’t have much in common, and they fought often. “It was just typical brother stuff,” he said. Besides the fighting, they shared some good memories.
One day, when they were kids, Rodney invited his brother to go and get some doughnuts. Rodney had previously stolen some and succeeded, so Mike saw the repeat attempt as a show of capability. “I guess he wanted to show me he could do it again,” he remarked.
Unfortunately, Rodney was caught this time, but Mike got away with a few boxes. It’s a distant memory among many, including the discrepancy regarding their father. Mike shared that the man who appeared on his birth certificate was Percel Tyson.
However, neither he, Denise, nor Rodney ever met Percel. Instead, they were told a man named Jimmy “Curlee” Kirkpatrick Jr. was their biological father, but even he was a barely present figure.
The siblings, along with their mom, Lorna Mae Tyson, faced poverty when they were young and were particularly affected by the recession in the 1970s. They were continually evicted, and each residence they took up was worse than the last.
Additionally, other things transpired that caused a rift between Mike and Rodney, as Mike shared, “It’s the really sad part about my family. We don’t have a close connection. Too many demons, too much pain.”
Rodney Tyson Is a Husband and Father
Although he and his younger brother drifted apart, Rodney built his own family. He married a woman named Tammy Marie, and the couple has a son who graduated from college in 2022.
Rodney has an active Facebook page, where he occasionally posts about his wife and son. He also has nieces and nephews born to Mike, including Miguel Leon Tyson, Mikey Lorna Tyson, Ramsey Tyson, Amir Tyson, and the late Exodus Tyson.
