Boaz Dov Wong was the son of American actor BD Wong and talent agent Richie Jackson. He was born on May 28, 2000, alongside his twin brother, Jackson Foo Wong. Sadly, Boaz lived for less than two hours after his premature birth.
Boaz became known mainly because of his connection to BD Wong and the deeply emotional circumstances surrounding his birth. His father later shared the family’s journey in his 2003 memoir, Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man.
This biography explores Boaz Dov Wong’s birth, parents, twin brother, surrogacy story, name, and cause of death. It also looks at BD Wong’s memoir, the family’s experience after his death, and the lasting place Boaz holds in their story.
Quick Bio
| Personal Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Boaz Dov Wong |
| Known For | Being the late son of BD Wong |
| Date of Birth | May 28, 2000 |
| Date of Death | May 28, 2000 |
| Age at Death | Less than two hours |
| Birthplace | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Father | BD Wong |
| Parent | Richie Jackson |
| Twin Brother | Jackson Foo Wong |
| Egg Donor | Sue Jackson |
| Birth Method | Gestational surrogacy |
| Birth Order | Born about 15 minutes before Jackson |
| Cause of Death | Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) |
| Famous Family Connection | Son of actor BD Wong |
Who Was Boaz Dov Wong?
Boaz Dov Wong was one of the twin sons welcomed by BD Wong and Richie Jackson in May 2000. His father, BD Wong, is a successful American actor known for his long career on stage, television, and film.
Boaz’s life was extremely short. He and his twin brother arrived around 12 weeks earlier than expected after a difficult pregnancy affected by Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome.
Despite living for less than two hours, Boaz became an important part of his family’s story. His father later wrote about becoming a parent, losing Boaz, and watching Jackson fight to survive.
Early Life and Background
Boaz Dov Wong was born on May 28, 2000, during Memorial Day weekend. He and Jackson Foo Wong arrived at approximately 28 weeks of pregnancy, meaning the twins were around 12 weeks premature.
Boaz was the first of the twins to arrive. Jackson was reportedly born about 15 minutes later. Their early arrival created serious medical concerns for both babies.
The pregnancy had already become complicated because the twins were affected by TTTS. After the delivery, both required immediate medical attention. Boaz’s condition was extremely serious, and he died less than two hours after entering the world.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Parents
Boaz’s parents were BD Wong and Richie Jackson. BD Wong, whose full name is Bradley Darryl Wong, built a successful acting career across Broadway, movies, and major American television productions.
BD Wong is especially recognized for performances in M. Butterfly, Jurassic Park, Oz, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Mr. Robot. His career made the Wong family familiar to many entertainment fans.
Richie Jackson works as a talent agent, television producer, and author. BD Wong and Richie began their relationship in 1988. They remained together for many years before separating in 2004 and continued sharing parenting responsibilities for Jackson.
How Boaz Dov Wong Was Born Through Surrogacy
BD Wong and Richie Jackson chose gestational surrogacy as their path toward becoming parents. Their family arrangement involved several people who helped make the pregnancy possible.
BD Wong’s sperm was used, while the donated egg came from Richie Jackson’s sister, Sue Jackson. A gestational surrogate then carried the pregnancy that resulted in Boaz and Jackson.
This made the twins an important new chapter in the couple’s family life. The surrogate also remained connected with the world of surrogacy afterward. She later started a business that helped other people and families explore surrogacy and their own paths toward parenthood.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Twin Brother, Jackson Foo Wong
Jackson Foo Wong is Boaz Dov Wong’s twin brother. He was born around 15 minutes after Boaz and also experienced major medical complications related to their premature birth and TTTS.
Jackson weighed approximately 2 pounds and 13 ounces when he was born. His condition required extended medical care, and he spent around three months receiving treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Jackson eventually recovered and was able to leave the hospital. He later grew up in New York and continued his education. As a young adult, Jackson attended New York University and completed his university studies in 2023.
What Is Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome?
Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, commonly shortened to TTTS, is a pregnancy complication that can affect identical twins who share a placenta. It causes blood to move unevenly between the two developing babies.
In such pregnancies, one twin becomes the donor and provides more blood through the shared circulation. The other becomes the recipient and receives a larger amount. This imbalance can create serious problems for both babies.
Boaz was the donor twin in the pregnancy, while Jackson was the recipient. The condition became extremely serious, contributing to the twins’ premature delivery and the medical difficulties they experienced immediately following birth.
How Did Boaz Dov Wong Die?
Boaz Dov Wong died on May 28, 2000, the same day he was born. His death resulted from complications associated with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, the condition that had affected both twins during the pregnancy.
As the donor twin, Boaz supplied blood to Jackson through their shared circulation. His condition was extremely fragile when the twins arrived prematurely at approximately 28 weeks.
Boaz survived for less than two hours after birth. His short life became closely connected with Jackson’s survival story because of the blood shared between them before birth. His death remained a deeply meaningful event for his family.
The Special Meaning Behind Boaz Dov Wong’s Name
Boaz Dov Wong’s name carried a personal family meaning. His father chose the name carefully, connecting the baby with a naming tradition that had existed within the Wong family for generations.
The initials of Boaz Dov are “B.D.,” the same initials commonly associated with his father, BD Wong. This choice was connected with a family tradition that went back to BD Wong’s grandfather.
Because of this tradition, Boaz’s name represented more than simply an individual identity. It created another connection between generations of the family. The meaning behind his initials became another detail through which his family could remember him.
BD Wong’s Memoir and Boaz’s Story
Boaz’s story became more widely known when BD Wong published Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man in 2003. The memoir gives readers a personal view of an important period in Wong’s family life.
The book discusses becoming a father through gestational surrogacy, the difficult pregnancy, the premature arrival of the twins, Boaz’s death, and Jackson’s long recovery in the hospital.
Much of the memoir developed from emails Wong had originally written to friends while Jackson remained hospitalized. These personal messages helped document the family’s changing emotions as they experienced loss while hoping for Jackson’s recovery.
How Boaz’s Death Affected BD Wong
Losing Boaz had a lasting emotional effect on BD Wong. Even as the family focused on Jackson’s survival and recovery, the loss of his twin remained an important part of Wong’s experience as a father.
Wong has described having what he calls “Boaz moments.” During such moments, he finds himself thinking about Boaz and imagining the person his son might have become if he had survived.
He has also connected Boaz with Jackson’s survival because Boaz was the donor twin during pregnancy. This created a complicated mixture of grief and gratitude that continued long after the twins were born.
How the Loss Changed the Family
The period surrounding Boaz’s death was difficult for the entire family. BD Wong and Richie Jackson were dealing with grief while simultaneously supporting Jackson during his lengthy stay in neonatal intensive care.
The loss of a child also created emotional pressure within their relationship. BD Wong and Richie eventually separated in 2004, approximately four years after the twins were born.
Their separation did not end their shared responsibilities as parents. They remained connected through Jackson and continued raising him. Jackson divided his time between his parents, allowing both BD Wong and Richie Jackson to remain active parts of his childhood and family life.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Family After His Death
The Wong-Jackson family changed over the years following Boaz’s death. Jackson grew older and continued building his own life while maintaining relationships with both of his parents.
Richie Jackson later married Broadway producer Jordan Roth. Their family expanded again when Levi Roth was born in 2016, making Jackson an older brother many years after losing his twin at birth.
BD Wong also entered another important chapter in his personal life. He married Richert John Frederickson Schnorr in 2018. Although the family structure changed, Boaz continued to have a meaningful place within the family history and BD Wong’s memories of becoming a father.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Education and Career
Boaz Dov Wong never had the opportunity to attend school. Because he died less than two hours after his premature birth, he could not experience childhood, education, or the milestones that normally follow during a person’s early life.
For the same reason, Boaz never developed a professional career. His public recognition comes entirely from his family story rather than personal work or achievements.
His name nevertheless became familiar to readers interested in BD Wong’s life. Through his father’s memoir and discussions about the twins, Boaz became connected with an emotional story involving parenthood, surrogacy, premature birth, loss, and family resilience.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Personal Life
Because Boaz lived for such a short period, he never reached the stages of life involving friendships, romantic relationships, marriage, or parenthood. His entire life was spent receiving medical attention following his premature delivery.
Boaz therefore did not have a spouse, girlfriend, or children. He also never had personal social media accounts or an independent presence in entertainment or public life.
Almost everything associated with Boaz today relates to his birth and family. His identity is especially connected with his twin brother Jackson, his parents BD Wong and Richie Jackson, and the family’s experience during the difficult months surrounding the twins’ birth.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Net Worth
Boaz Dov Wong did not have a personal net worth. Since he lived for less than two hours, he never entered professional life, owned a business, earned income, or built personal financial assets.
The topic sometimes appears because Boaz was the son of BD Wong, a successful actor with a career stretching across theater, television, and film. However, his father’s financial success should not be treated as Boaz’s personal wealth.
Boaz’s significance has nothing to do with money or professional achievements. Instead, interest in him comes from his family connection and the emotional story of his birth, death, and twin brother’s survival.
Why Boaz Dov Wong’s Story Is Remembered
Boaz Dov Wong lived for only a very short time, but his story continued through the memories of his family. BD Wong’s decision to write about the experience introduced readers to the emotional reality surrounding the twins’ birth.
His story also became connected with the challenges of premature birth, gestational surrogacy, TTTS, grief, and parenthood. Jackson’s survival added another powerful part to the family experience.
For BD Wong, remembering Boaz has remained part of remembering his journey as a father. The family’s story shows how even an extremely short life can remain meaningful to parents, siblings, and loved ones many years later.
Final Thoughts
Boaz Dov Wong was born on May 28, 2000, as the twin brother of Jackson Foo Wong and the son of BD Wong and Richie Jackson. Both twins arrived around 12 weeks prematurely after a pregnancy complicated by TTTS.
Boaz, the donor twin, died less than two hours after his birth. Jackson survived after spending approximately three months receiving intensive neonatal care and later grew into adulthood.
Boaz’s story remained part of his family through memories and BD Wong’s memoir, Following Foo. His short life continues to hold emotional meaning within the story of BD Wong, Richie Jackson, and Jackson Foo Wong.
FAQs
Who was Boaz Dov Wong?
Boaz Dov Wong was the son of American actor BD Wong and Richie Jackson. He was born on May 28, 2000, alongside his twin brother, Jackson Foo Wong, but sadly lived for less than two hours.
How did Boaz Dov Wong die?
Boaz Dov Wong died from complications related to Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, also known as TTTS. The condition affected both twins during pregnancy, and Boaz died less than two hours after his premature birth.
Who is Boaz Dov Wong’s twin brother?
Boaz Dov Wong’s twin brother is Jackson Foo Wong. Jackson was born around 15 minutes after Boaz and experienced serious medical problems. He survived, grew up in New York, and graduated from New York University in 2023.
Who are Boaz Dov Wong’s parents?
Boaz Dov Wong’s parents are actor BD Wong and talent agent, producer, and author Richie Jackson. They welcomed Boaz and his twin brother, Jackson, through gestational surrogacy on May 28, 2000.
Why is Boaz Dov Wong remembered?
Boaz Dov Wong is remembered through his family and BD Wong’s memoir, Following Foo. His story covers premature birth, TTTS, family loss, and the survival of his twin brother, Jackson Foo Wong.
