Tyler Perry to pay for Nolan Wells' funeral expenses after teen's death on Mississippi island

Atlanta media mogul Tyler Perry is helping cover the funeral costs for Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old found dead after going missing during a boat trip with friends on the Fourth of July.

In a press conference with Wells' family and civil rights attorney Ben Crump on Friday, the Rev. Al Sharpton said that Perry had offered to cover the expenses for the funeral, which Sharpton will officiate.

At the news conference, Christine and Elmore Wonsley called for a thorough and transparent investigation into their son's death, skeptical of claims that Wells told his friends to leave the island without him and suggestions that he, an elite athlete who knew how to swim, had accidentally drowned.

"We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn't come home," Christine Wonsley said.

His body was discovered on July 6 off the coast of Horn Island, following a search that involved multiple local, state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service. 

In a statement posted to Instagram, Perry wrote that he had personal experience searching for answers, pointing to his struggles understanding the death of his nephew, who died in a Louisiana prison in 2020.

"I know what it's like to not have the answers that loved ones so desperately need. The agony is debilitating," he wrote. "It is my hope that Nolan's parents and all who knew and loved him get to the truth of what happened in Mississippi."

Other celebrities supporting Nolan Wells' family

Perry isn't the only high-profile name offering their support to Wells' parents during this difficult time.

At Friday's press conference, Crump said that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is helping pay for an independent autopsy of Wells, which would be performed by a forensic pathologist in Washington, D.C. who has no ties to Mississippi law enforcement.

Filmmaker Spike Lee showed up to Friday's news conference to show support for Wells' family.

Producer and "Comics Unleashed" host Byron Allen has donated $100,000 to a GoFundMe raising money to honor Wells' memory and support his family. As of Monday morning, the fund has raised more than $647,000.

Family calls any information about Nolan Wells' death

Wells' family is encouraging witnesses to come forward and asked people to submit any video they recorded that may show him on Horn Island, echoing a call by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office to help shed light on the moments before Wells' disappearance and death.

Jackson County Sheriff Ledbetter John told The Associated Press that Wells' friends were cooperating with the investigation.

"From the people we've talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else," he said.

Crump said those friends now have lawyers and that his investigators haven't attempted to speak with them yet. The attorney also said a witness reported Wells had planned to leave on the boat with his friends, contradicting the sheriff's theory.

As people mourn and protest Wells' death, Christine Wonsley urged them to follow his example.

"Please be peaceful," she said. "Nolan was not someone who liked fights, physical fights. He didn't even really like arguments. Don't go out there trying to be tough. Think about what Nolan would want, and he wouldn't want that type of behavior."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.