Boaz Dov Wong was the son of acclaimed American actor B.D. Wong and talent agent Richie Jackson. He was born as one of twin boys in 2000, but his life lasted only a short time. Boaz died shortly after birth because of complications associated with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a serious condition that can affect identical twin pregnancies.
Although Boaz lived for only a brief period, his story became an important part of B.D. Wong’s life. Wong later documented the emotional experience in his memoir, Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man. The book grew from emails Wong wrote during the difficult weeks surrounding the twins’ premature birth and the medical struggle involving Boaz’s surviving brother, Jackson Foo Wong.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| 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 | Less than two hours |
| Birthplace | United States (some sources report New York, but this is not fully confirmed) |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | BD Wong and Richie Jackson |
| Twin Brother | Jackson Foo Wong |
| Cause of Death | Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) |
| Born Through | Gestational surrogacy |
Who Was Boaz Dov Wong?
Boaz Dov Wong was one of the twin sons born to actor B.D. Wong and his then-partner Richie Jackson. The twins were born prematurely on May 28, 2000, after their surrogate went into labor several weeks before the expected delivery. Playbill identifies the twins as Jackson Foo Wong and Boaz Dov Wong.
Boaz’s story is unusual because his birth and death became closely connected with the survival story of his twin brother. According to contemporary reporting, the twins experienced twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome before birth. Boaz was the donor twin, while Jackson was the recipient twin. The condition placed both babies in serious danger and required immediate medical attention after delivery.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Birth and Family Background
Boaz was born on May 28, 2000, alongside his twin brother Jackson Foo Wong. B.D. Wong and Richie Jackson had created their family through surrogacy. Wong provided the sperm, while Jackson’s sister provided the egg, and a surrogate carried the pregnancy. Playbill described the twins as the result of this arrangement and reported that they arrived almost three months early.
The family had already invested significant emotional energy into the pregnancy. The premature delivery transformed what should have been a joyful family milestone into an emergency. Boaz and Jackson both needed medical care, but Boaz’s condition deteriorated quickly. His death occurred shortly after his birth, while his brother remained in intensive care.
Who Is B.D. Wong, Boaz’s Father?
B.D. Wong is an award-winning American actor whose career includes theater, television, film, and voice work. He earned a Tony Award for his performance in M. Butterfly and later became widely recognized for roles in productions such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Oz.
Wong’s experience as a father became an important part of his personal story after the twins were born. His professional life continued, but the birth and loss of Boaz changed his perspective on family, parenthood, and grief. His later writing gave him a way to process those experiences while sharing them with people outside his immediate family.
His memoir became particularly significant because it did not simply describe the loss. It also documented the uncertainty surrounding Jackson’s survival. Wong recorded the emotional highs and lows of the family’s experience, creating a deeply personal account of premature birth and parenthood.
Who Is Richie Jackson, Boaz’s Other Parent?
Richie Jackson is a talent agent and producer who was B.D. Wong’s longtime partner. Wong and Jackson were together from 1988 until 2004. During their relationship, they decided to become parents and pursued surrogacy.
Jackson played an important role in the family’s journey. His sister donated the egg used in the surrogacy arrangement, while Wong provided the sperm. This made the pregnancy a deeply personal family project involving biological, genetic, and emotional connections between the parents and the twins.
The loss of Boaz occurred while Jackson’s twin brother remained critically ill. The family therefore had to process grief while continuing to hope for Jackson’s recovery. This unusual combination of loss and uncertainty became one of the central themes of Wong’s later memoir.
Boaz Dov Wong and His Twin Brother Jackson Foo Wong
Boaz’s twin brother was named Jackson Foo Wong. The brothers were born on the same day, May 28, 2000, but their medical circumstances quickly became very different. Boaz died shortly after birth, while Jackson was transferred to intensive care because of his premature condition.
Jackson weighed only 2 pounds, 13 ounces at birth, according to The Advocate. His survival required an extended hospitalization, and his father documented many of those difficult weeks through emails. The family faced multiple medical challenges as doctors worked to stabilize him.
B.D. Wong later described the boys as his sons in the plural, even when discussing the loss of Boaz. An account published by SFGATE explains that Wong believed Boaz remained part of Jackson’s life and continued to hold an important place in his own understanding of fatherhood.
The Surrogacy Journey Behind the Twins’ Birth
B.D. Wong and Richie Jackson used a surrogate to have children. The arrangement involved Wong’s sperm and an egg donated by Jackson’s sister. The surrogate carried the pregnancy in California, where the twins were eventually born prematurely.
The pregnancy initially represented a long-awaited step toward parenthood. However, the medical complications surrounding the twins changed the experience dramatically. Their premature arrival required immediate intervention, and the parents faced a situation that was both emotionally overwhelming and medically uncertain.
The story later became an important example of the complex emotional realities surrounding surrogacy. Wong’s memoir did not present parenthood as a simple or predictable journey. Instead, it showed the fear, hope, exhaustion, grief, and love that shaped the family’s experience during the twins’ birth and Jackson’s hospitalization.
What Happened to Boaz Dov Wong?
Boaz died shortly after birth as a result of complications linked to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Contemporary reporting states that he died approximately 90 minutes after being born. His twin brother, Jackson, survived but required intensive medical treatment.
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, often called TTTS, can occur during identical twin pregnancies when the twins share a placenta and blood flow between them becomes severely unbalanced. One twin may become the donor, while the other receives an excessive blood supply. This can create serious risks for both babies.
In Boaz and Jackson’s case, the condition contributed to the severe complications surrounding their premature birth. Boaz was identified in contemporary coverage as the donor twin. His brother became the recipient twin and faced his own medical crisis after delivery.
Understanding Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is a pregnancy complication that affects certain identical twin pregnancies. It occurs when twins share a placenta and abnormal connections between their blood vessels cause an uneven exchange of blood.
The condition can affect both twins in different ways. The donor twin may experience reduced blood flow and decreased amniotic fluid. The recipient twin may receive too much blood, which can place additional strain on the heart and other organs.
TTTS can become a medical emergency. Modern medicine offers several treatments depending on the pregnancy stage and severity, but outcomes vary. Boaz’s story occurred in 2000, when his family faced the medical options and circumstances available at that time.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Final Hours
Boaz’s final hours were marked by the serious complications caused by the pregnancy. According to The Advocate, he was born during the premature delivery and died about 90 minutes later. His father and Richie Jackson then had to focus much of their attention on Jackson’s critical condition.
The situation created a painful contrast. The parents had just welcomed two sons, yet they immediately faced the loss of one child and a fight to save the other. There was little opportunity for a conventional period of mourning because Jackson remained in critical condition.
This experience became central to Wong’s later writing. Instead of keeping the story entirely private, he transformed his thoughts and correspondence into a memoir that documented the family’s difficult journey.
How B.D. Wong Remembered His Son
B.D. Wong remembered Boaz through writing. During Jackson’s hospitalization, Wong sent detailed email updates to friends and family. Those messages later became the foundation for his memoir Following Foo.
The book was published in 2003 by HarperEntertainment. Playbill described it as a combination of emails, narrative writing, poetry, and other creative elements. The memoir focused on the difficult birth of the twins and the weeks that followed.
Wong’s writing also helped him preserve Boaz’s place in the family story. SFGATE reported that Wong viewed Boaz’s brief life as connected to Jackson’s survival. He continued to think of the two boys together rather than treating Boaz’s death as an isolated event.
Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man
Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man is B.D. Wong’s memoir about the experience of becoming a father to premature twins. The book emerged from correspondence he shared with friends and family during the medical crisis.
The memoir focuses heavily on Jackson’s long hospitalization, but Boaz’s death forms an essential part of its emotional foundation. The story begins with the twins’ premature arrival and follows the family through fear, grief, medical uncertainty, and hope.
The book also demonstrated Wong’s creative approach to difficult subjects. Rather than writing a conventional celebrity autobiography, he used emails, humor, poetry, and personal observations. Playbill noted that Wong viewed the book as a creative work rather than a traditional celebrity tell-all.
The Impact of Boaz’s Loss on His Family
Losing a child can profoundly affect a family, and Boaz’s death occurred under particularly difficult circumstances. B.D. Wong and Richie Jackson were simultaneously grieving one son while trying to help their surviving son through a severe medical crisis.
The emotional complexity of that experience became a recurring theme in accounts of Wong’s family life. He did not simply describe Boaz as a child who died. He continued to regard him as part of the family and as Jackson’s twin brother.
The experience also influenced Wong’s understanding of fatherhood. His memoir allowed him to preserve memories of the twins while documenting the extraordinary medical journey that followed their birth.
Boaz Dov Wong’s Name and Family Legacy
Boaz Dov Wong carried his father’s family name. SFGATE reported that the name Boaz Dov also connected with B.D. Wong’s family naming traditions. The article explained that “B.D.” reflected names used within Wong’s family.
Although Boaz did not live long enough to create a public life of his own, his name became permanently connected with his father’s memoir and family history. His story continues to appear in biographies of B.D. Wong because it shaped a significant chapter in the actor’s personal life.
The family’s story also became part of the broader history of modern parenthood, surrogacy, and LGBTQ+ families in the early 2000s. Wong’s openness about the experience helped make his journey visible to audiences who might not otherwise have encountered such a story.
Why Boaz Dov Wong’s Story Remains Remembered
Boaz’s story remains remembered largely because his father chose to document it. Without Wong’s memoir and contemporary interviews, very little public information about Boaz would exist.
His story is not simply about the death of a celebrity child. It is also about premature birth, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, surrogacy, grief, and the complicated experience of becoming a parent under extraordinary circumstances.
Most importantly, the story reflects the enduring connection between Boaz and his surviving twin. Wong’s later reflections show that Boaz remained part of his family identity. His brief life had a lasting emotional impact on his father and brother.
Conclusion
Boaz Dov Wong was born on May 28, 2000, as the twin son of B.D. Wong and Richie Jackson. He arrived prematurely with his brother Jackson Foo Wong after a surrogate pregnancy became complicated by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Boaz died approximately 90 minutes after birth.
Although his life was extremely brief, Boaz became an important part of B.D. Wong’s personal story. Wong documented the twins’ birth and Jackson’s subsequent medical struggle in Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man. The memoir grew from personal emails and reflections written during the family’s difficult experience.
Boaz’s story therefore remains connected to themes of love, parenthood, loss, and family. His memory also remains intertwined with that of his surviving twin, Jackson. Through his father’s writing, Boaz’s short life became a lasting part of the Wong family story.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Boaz Dov Wong?
Boaz Dov Wong was one of the twin sons of actor B.D. Wong and talent agent Richie Jackson. He was born prematurely on May 28, 2000.
When was Boaz Dov Wong born?
Boaz Dov Wong was born on May 28, 2000, alongside his twin brother Jackson Foo Wong.
Who was Boaz Dov Wong’s father?
His father was B.D. Wong, the award-winning American actor known for M. Butterfly, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Oz, and other productions.
Who was Boaz Dov Wong’s other parent?
His other parent was Richie Jackson, a talent agent and producer who was B.D. Wong’s longtime partner.
Did Boaz Dov Wong have a twin brother?
Yes. His twin brother was Jackson Foo Wong. Jackson survived the premature birth but spent months receiving medical treatment.
What happened to Boaz Dov Wong?
Boaz died approximately 90 minutes after birth because of complications associated with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
What is twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome?
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is a serious complication that can occur when identical twins share a placenta and blood flow becomes uneven between them.
Was Boaz Dov Wong born through surrogacy?
Yes. B.D. Wong and Richie Jackson used a surrogate. Wong provided the sperm, while Jackson’s sister provided the egg.
Did B.D. Wong write about Boaz?
Yes. Wong documented the family’s experience in his memoir Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man, published in 2003.
How did Boaz Dov Wong’s death affect B.D. Wong?
His death had a lasting emotional impact on Wong. The experience became part of Wong’s memoir and his understanding of fatherhood and family.
Is Boaz Dov Wong remembered by his family?
Yes. B.D. Wong has continued to discuss the twins as part of his family story. His memoir helped preserve Boaz’s memory and document the circumstances surrounding his birth and death.
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