What Happened to Steve Witkoff’s Son? Inside the Trump Administration Member’s Family
Before being a member of the current Trump administration, Steve Witkoff was known as a billionaire real estate investor and attorney.
Published May 14 2025, 11:18 a.m. ET
United States Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, honored the memory of his late son by offering a sentimental gift to a released soldier and former hostage.
Before being a member of the current Trump administration, Steve was known as a billionaire real estate investor and attorney. He is also the founder and chairman of the Witkoff Group.
What happened to Steve Witkoff’s son?
In 2011, Steve’s son, 22-year-old Andrew Witkoff, died of an OxyContin overdose while staying at the One80 sober living facility in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In response to his son’s death, Steve filed a wrongful death suit in 2013 against the since-closed facility, alleging wrongful death, negligence, and fraud, as well as naming three former employees: fired CEO Alex Shohet; his wife, former clinical director Bernadine Fried; and One80 co-founder Justin Carroll.
Per the court documents, Steve alleged that One80 showed a lack of oversight by allowing Andrew to leave the facility without supervision, forgo urine tests, and purchase drugs online while staying at the facility. “The reality is that inappropriate levels of freedom, and lackadaisical and inadequate supervision, was and is provided to clients,” the lawsuit read, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Steve and his wife also alleged in the lawsuit that the sober companion assigned to Andrew “had no formal training in the field of substance abuse counseling and treatment, and was given little if any on-the-job training prior to being assigned.”
“Their only interest in pursuing this lawsuit,” the Witkoffs attorney said at the time, “is to prevent other families from suffering the loss of loved ones battling addiction at the hands of people in positions of power in the recovery industry who demonstrate an unconscionable disregard for their clients’ best interest.”
How did Steve honor his son’s memory?
On Tuesday, May 13, while visiting former American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander at a hospital in Tel Aviv, Steve gave him the Star of David chain that previously belonged to his late sons, according to the Times of Israel.
Steve himself had worn the chain since Andrew’s death almost 15 years ago. As he placed the chain around Edan’s neck, Steve reportedly told him, “You would be doing a great honor to my son if you keep wearing this.” Per the outlet, the gesture from Steve “moved Edan’s family to tears.”
Trump also had a phone call with Edan following his release. “Your mother kept pushing me the whole time — but that’s OK. I can’t wait to see you at the White House. The whole nation wants to see you. You’re a bigger celebrity than I am right now. Enjoy it while you can, stay strong. Take it easy,” Trump reportedly said.
Edan had been in Hamas custody for 584 days and was cited as the last known living U.S. soldier in Hamas captivity. He was initially in Israel to serve in the IDF’s Golani infantry Brigade before being kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023.