Family Voices Concerns for Mary Cosbys Lost Son

's estranged family has expressed concern over the tragic death of her son, Robert Cosby Jr., suggesting he may have faced 'pressure' as a result of talking publicly about his struggles on .

'It’s sad because nobody wants to lose their child, but he’s in the hands of a just God,' Dan Cosby, who is Mary's cousin, told the Daily Mail exclusively.

Dan and Mary's mother were sisters, but the cousins lost contact over a decade ago in part over conflicting views about how Mary's church is run, and Dan does not believe they will be welcomed at Robert Jr.'s funeral.

However, the youth basketball coach - who had not seen Robert Jr. since the latter was a child - said he would sometimes watch the mother-son duo talking about his in social media clips from Mary's show.

'You're being watched on national TV and everywhere you go, people are going to know you and ask you questions - that's a lot of pressure,' Dan said. 

On RHOSLC, Robert Jr. vulnerably opened up about dealing with suicidal ideation and addiction to substances like marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs. 

'I just barely started being happy again,' he told Mary, 53, amid tears in a November 2024 episode, prompting her to reply: 'Please, baby, recognize it, own it, and change it. Because you can.'

The reality star first appeared on RHOSLC on Season 1 in 2020. She later appeared as a 'friend of' for Season 4 before returning full-time. 

The series continued to follow how Robert Jr. tried to pull himself out of a dark place, and Mary moved audiences with her unconditional love and support for her son.

Mary's cousin said he was recently updated on Robert Jr.'s mindset by Bishop Galvin, a former member of Mary's Faith Temple church, who visited the young man in prison last month after he felt called by God to do so.

'He visited him two or three times and he said, "If you don't want to tell your parents I came, that's fine," but he had to do what God told him to do and he prayed for him,' Dan shared.

'He was very thankful and I hope this doesn't hurt anybody's feelings but Robert felt that he was lost. And Bishop Galvin told him, "God will help you. Don't worry about anything and just hang in there" but he did feel lost.'

Although Robert Jr. went to rehab, he sadly relapsed. Late last year, he then  and violation of a protective order. His wife, Alexiana Arian Smokoff, also filed for divorce in November 2025 after three years of marriage.

During a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Mary expressed sympathy over her son's jail sentence, saying she somewhat felt comfort in him being behind bars, adding: 'I know he's somewhere where he's not using.' 

Salt Lake City officers confirmed to the Daily Mail that they on Monday at 6:14 p.m. local time for 'an overdose investigation that morphed into a death investigation.' We were told the death probe is standard in this case.

Dan told the Daily Mail that he and the rest of Mary's estranged family members found out about the sad news by reading about it online two days after it happened.

'We're just hearing it,' he said on Wednesday. 'They don't talk to us, so we're finding out just like everybody else is. I was in disbelief when I first heard it.' 

Although Dan looks back on Robert Jr. fondly, as his daughter Whitney used to babysit him growing up and they shared a lot of memories together, he does not expect his death to bring the family back together.

Since leaving Mary's Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, he has appeared in a docuseries called The Cult of the Real Housewife, which investigated the church.

'My love is for the family, but they will never invite us to the funeral. They won't even allow us in the church,' Dan said.

'There's such a division between the family now. They won't talk to us. It's, like, taboo. I've heard they're not supposed to talk to us.' 

As for any final words about Robert Jr.'s passing, Dan said: 'His soul is up to God and God sees and knows what he was going through, so all things are for the good.'

Mary to TMZ Wednesday: 'Our beloved son Robert Jr. has been called home to the Lord. Though our hearts ache, we take comfort in God's promise and in knowing he is finally at peace. We are grateful for your prayers and trust in the Lord to carry us through this time of sorrow.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Mary and Bravo for additional comment.