‘Still doesn’t feel real’: Jayden Adams’s partner shares heartbreak a month after his death

Aqueelah Adendorf, the partner of late Bafana Bafana star Jayden Adams, has shared a heartfelt tribute to the footballer one month after his passing.

Adams died on July 11 at the age of 25. His body was found at a property in the Schotsche Kloof suburb of Cape Town shortly after he returned from representing South Africa at the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.

The couple shared a five-year-old daughter, Allaia-Jayda. Adams was also father to a toddler son, Jude, with Jody Solomons.

Adendorf took to her Instagram stories to honour Adams’s memory on the one-month anniversary of his passing, expressing the difficulty of coming to terms with the loss.

“Today marks one month since you left this world, and somehow it still doesn’t feel real,” Adendorf wrote.

“A whole month without your voice, your presence, your smile… yet the pain feels like it happened yesterday. I miss you more than words could ever explain. I wish I could have one more conversation, one more hug, one more moment with you.

“Life has carried on, but a part of me is still stuck on the day you left. You will forever be loved, forever missed, and forever a part of me. I hope heaven is treating you gently, my love. One month gone but never one day forgotten. Rest peacefully, Jayden.”

In another post showing her visiting Adams’s grave, Adendorf reflected on her grief.

“Standing here beside your grave, wishing with everything in me that you could answer me back… I still catch myself wishing you’d say something, anything, just so I could hear your voice again. I miss you more than words could ever explain.”

She also shared a photo from her pregnancy with the caption, “You left me with a broken heart.”

Adams was laid to rest on July 25. Family, supporters, and football legends gathered to bid a final farewell to the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder.

Mamelodi Sundowns founder Patrice Motsepe pledged that the club will continue to support Adams’s family and children.

“I’m very proud that there was some discussion about Mamelodi Sundowns continuing to see how they can help, at least for some time, to try to help Jayden’s children,” Motsepe said.