Derek

Derek Lunsford is an American IFBB Pro bodybuilder and Mr Olympia champion who’s as devoted to his family as he is to his training.

Here’s the lowdown on his wife, their family life, and the latest on his success in Olympia.

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Who is Derek Lunsford’s wife, Jhelsin?

Derek is married to Jhelsin Mabaga, a fitness professional who focuses on helping clients with weight loss and muscle building.

She’s built her own following by sharing practical coaching content and healthy-living advice online.

The pair have been together for more than a decade and tied the knot in 2022, marking two years of marriage in 2024.

Jhelsin regularly features in Derek’s posts, with the couple sharing glimpses of their life together, from gym sessions to big family milestones.

Derek has publicly praised her as his best friend and the “mother of our baby girl.”

Does Derek Lunsford have any children?

Derek and Jhelsin welcomed a baby girl in January 2024.

He shared the news shortly after the birth and has since posted heartfelt tributes to his wife and daughter.

In a later message celebrating their relationship, Derek also referred to their daughter by name, Evie.

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Who is Derek Lunsford?

Born May 14, 1993, in Petersburg, Indiana, Derek Lunsford competes in the Men’s Open division of the IFBB Pro League.

He first made waves after moving up from the 212 class, showcasing the blend of size, symmetry, and conditioning needed to contend with the biggest names in the sport.

His fast rise included an early pro splash at the Tampa Pro in the 212 division and, after stepping into Open, he delivered on the sport’s biggest stage by becoming the 2023 Mr Olympia champion.

Has Derek Lunsford appeared at Mr Olympia?

Derek has become a fixture at the Olympia weekend.

After early success in the 212s, he transitioned to Open and captured the Mr Olympia title in 2023, confirming his status among bodybuilding’s elite.

He has continued to compete at the very top since then, balancing the demands of championship prep with new-dad life.

Derek reclaimed the Sandow in 2025, becoming a two-time Mr Olympia champion.

He sealed the win on Saturday night against a stacked field to put his name back on the trophy after the 2024 setback.

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Why fans love the Lunsfords’ updates

Beyond the hardware, fans connect with Derek because he brings them along for the ride — from late-night posing updates to intimate family moments.

Posts like his “31 and glowing!” birthday tribute to Jhelsin, calling her the “mother of our baby girl,” have become some of his most-liked family content, showing the softer side of a world-class competitor.

Likewise, his “13 years together and 2 years married” message thanking God “every single day for you and Evie” says a lot about where his priorities are these days: faith, family, and physiques — in that order.

McIlroy described the abuse as “unacceptable” and said it should be “off-limits”.

Sprague says he plans on apologising to McIlroy and his family.

“I haven’t spoken to Rory or Erica [McIlroy] but I do plan on sending them an email with my heartfelt apologies because of what occurred,” he said.

McIlroy suffered lengthy abuse before eventually snapping by swearing at a spectator that called out while he was addressing the ball.

“I chirped back because it got to me a few times, but we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that,” said McIlroy.

“It was a rough week for all of us. But at the same time, we shut them up by our performance.”

Bobby Whitlock, the keyboardist, singer-songwriter and co-founder of the blues-rock group Derek and the Dominos, has died. He was 77.

In a statement, his manager, Carole Kaye, said, “With profound sadness, the family of Bobby Whitlock announces his passing at 1:20 a.m. on Aug. 10 after a brief illness. He passed in his home in Texas, surrounded by family.”

Although Derek and the Dominos is perhaps best known for launching singer and guitarist Eric Clapton into solo superstardom, Whitlock was a key contributor to the group’s 1970 debut “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” and an influential session musician and singer-songwriter in his own right.

Whitlock was born March 18, 1948, into a poverty-stricken early life in Millington, Tenn., a suburb of Memphis. His keyboard and piano skills, formed around Southern church traditions, led him to eavesdropping on sessions at Stax Records’ studios, which took notice of his uncommonly soulful musicianship. Stax Records signed him to its new pop-focused imprint HIP — he was the first white artist to join singers like Otis Redding and Sam & Dave at the label group.

His major breakthrough came when he was asked to join Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, an acclaimed rock-soul combo whose collaborators included generationally important artists like Duane and Gregg Allman, Leon Russell, George Harrison and Clapton.

Delaney & Bonnie and Friends took Whitlock on tour with Clapton’s supergroup, Blind Faith, and Clapton used much of that band’s lineup to record his 1970 solo debut. He later asked Whitlock to join him in a new combo (with bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon), assembled to back Harrison on “All Things Must Pass,” which became Derek and the Dominos.

“The empathy amongst all the musicians outcropped most noticeably in Bobby Whitlock, in whom Eric found an accomplished and sympathetic songwriting partner and back-up vocalist,” Clapton biographer Harry Shapiro wrote in “Eric Clapton: Lost in the Blues.”

On “Layla,” the group’s sole studio LP, Whitlock wrote or co-wrote half of the album’s songs, including “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Tell the Truth.” A U.S. tour featured opener Elton John, who wrote in his autobiography that, among the Dominos, “it was their keyboard player Bobby Whitlock that I watched like a hawk. He was from Memphis, learned his craft hanging around Stax Studios and played with that soulful, deep Southern gospel feel.”

While the band’s drug use and personal tensions eventually led to a split, Whitlock released his self-titled solo debut in 1972 and “Raw Velvet,” a follow-up that same year. As a session musician, he played on the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main St.” and Dr. John’s “The Sun, Moon & Herbs.”

He continued releasing solo material through the ’70s, returning in the ’90s and often collaborating with his wife and musical partner CoCo Carmel.

“How do you express in but a few words the grandness of one man who came from abject poverty in the south to heights unimagined in such a short time,” Carmel said in a statement to The Times. “My love Bobby looked at life as an adventure taking me by the hand leading me through a world of wonderment from music to poetry and painting. As he would always say: ‘Life is what you make it, so take it and make it beautiful.’ And he did.”

Whitlock is survived by his wife and children Ashley Faye Brown, Beau Elijah Whitlock and Tim Whitlock Kelly.

PIANIST and co-founder of Derek and the Dominos, Bobby Whitlock, has died at the age 77. 

The rock icon died of cancer after a short battle with the illness as his heartbroken wife leads the tributes.

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His manager, Carole Kaye, confirmed his death this morning saying he died at home in Texas at 1:20am.

The legendary rockstar surrounded by his loved ones when he passed.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun

Derek Dixon, the actor who raised allegations of sexual harassment against Tyler Perry, has broken his silence after suing the producer and media mogul for $260 million last month.

In his first interview since filing the bombshell lawsuit in June, “The Oval” actor Dixon told the Hollywood Reporter, “I couldn’t just let [Perry] get away with this.”

Dixon alleged in his complaint that when he worked for Perry from January 2020 to June 2024, the multi-hyphenate entertainer “sustained a pattern of workplace sexual harassment, assault and retaliation,” according to court documents reviewed by The Times. Dixon briefly appeared in BET’s “Ruthless” before landing a role in Perry’s “The Oval,” appearing in 85 episodes from 2021 to 2025.

“Everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them,” Dixon said to THR in a story published Thursday. “My goal is to help ensure that the next generation of actors and creatives don’t have to choose between their dreams and their dignity.”

Seeking a response from Perry, The Times was referred Friday to the initial statement from Perry’s attorney Matthew Boyd, which denies Dixon’s allegations.

“This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam,” Boyd said in the statement. “But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”

Dixon recalled to the trade outlet how he initially came to work for Perry and further spoke on the producer’s allegedly incessant attempts to spark a sexual relationship with his employee. In his suit, Dixon describes sexually suggestive text messages Perry allegedly sent, including one where he asks the actor “What’s it going to take for you to have guiltless sex?”

More damning were the allegations of sexual assault Dixon raised against Perry in his lawsuit. The 46-page complaint detailed multiple incidents, including one at Perry’s guest house in Georgia when the producer pulled down Dixon’s underwear and groped his buttocks. Dixon’s complaint also alleged Perry sexually assaulted him during a previous stay at his guest house and during a meeting in the director’s trailer.

According to the lawsuit, Dixon refused Perry’s advances and walked a fine line, keeping his interactions with Perry professional but friendly enough to remain in his good graces. Recalling the alleged assault in the trailer, Dixon said it would seem Perry would back off and “say things like ‘We need to just be business.’”

“And I would think, ‘Great. Yes.’ Every time I thought it would stop,” he said.

Dixon claims in his lawsuit that Perry leveraged his standing in the entertainment industry — specifically his ability to bring the actor’s own TV series to life — “to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic.” The suit also says Dixon “woke up” in June 2024 and realized Perry was never going to be serious about helping Dixon ”grow his career.”

The actor reported the alleged abuse he experienced to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Though the lawsuit claims the complaint was not investigated, THR reports the case is pending. He told the magazine he felt compelled to sue Perry because “I was an employee, and he was my boss.”

He added: “For a long time, I convinced myself that it was part of the industry, or that somehow I had to accept it to keep working. But eventually, I couldn’t stay silent anymore.”

Since suing Perry, Dixon told THR he has received mixed reactions, including threats online and support from people who claim they experienced similar misconduct by Perry. He also said he decided to publicly accuse Perry as he feels attempts to settle matters privately “never result in the type of change necessary to protect victims.”

Despite going public with his allegations against Perry, Dixon said he fears that the producer “will be able to continue doing this without any major consequences.”