Alan Jackson’s Son-in-Law Ben Selecman Dies Following Florida Accident
Ben Selecman, son-in-law of Alan Jackson, has died following an accident in West Palm Beach, Fla., in early September. Selecman was 28 years old and married to Jackson's daughter Mattie.
Selecmen died on Wednesday (Sept. 12), according to a statement from the Davidson County, Tenn., district attorney's office, which also confirmed the news to Taste of Country. Selecman was the assistant district attorney in Davidson County. Although the DA's office stated that Selecman's death was due to a boating-related accident, a statement from Alan Jackson's team reports that he suffered "severe traumatic head injuries" from a fall.
"District Attorney Glenn Funk said the DA’s Office is thankful for every day that Ben had the opportunity to serve the people of Davidson County," the DA's office's statement reads. "Our prayers are with Ben’s family. He will be truly missed."
Samuel Benton “Ben” Selecman was a native of Knoxville, Tenn., a University of Knoxville graduate and a graduate of the University of Memphis' Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. He married Mattie Jackson, the oldest daughter of Alan Jackson and his wife Denise, in October of 2017 in Franklin, Tenn.; the couple's wedding was featured in Southern Bride magazine. The two met at a mutual friend's wedding, then reconnected two years later, when Selecman spent a summer in Nashville during law school. At first, Mattie tells Southern Bride, she declined when he asked her out, but when he tried again a few months later, she said yes.
"He drove almost four hours just for dinner," Jackson remembers, "and we've talked every day since."
Selecman proposed to Jackson during a picnic at Natchez Trace. They held their wedding at the Jackson family's estate and enjoyed a honeymoon in the Seychelles Islands and South Africa.
Selecman is survived by his wife; his parents, Mark and Brenda Selecman; and his brother Cole and Cole's wife Morgan. "The Jackson and Selecman families ask for – and appreciate – prayers during this difficult time," Alan Jackson's statement reads.
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