Exodus Tragedy Is Latest Curse for Mike Tyson

May 27, 2009 — -- He was the undisputed boxing heavyweight champion of the world, earning an estimated $300 million over the course of his career, but life has never come easy for Mike Tyson.

Starting with the father he once called a pimp, who walked out on the family when Tyson was 2, the ex-champ has grappled with heartbreak and misfortune.

His latest calamity involves his four-year-old daughter Exodus, who died Tuesday afternoon, a day after a "tragic accident" in which she was found hanging from a cord attached to an exercise treadmill.

Click here to learn more about treadmill accidents.

"We are grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love and prayers from all over the world. There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus. We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal," Tyson said in a statement provided to ABCNews.com.

Throughout his life, Tyson, 42, has lost family members, friends, money, titles, women and his own self-respect, but he has never lost a child before.

Exodus was the youngest of Tyson's six children by an assortment of ex-wives and girlfriends. It's been reported that Tyson was living in a modest Phoenix home with the mother of Exodus and her 7-year-old brother, believed to be Miguel, who found his little sister unconscious. It remains unclear whether Tyson and Exodus' mother were ever married or what their current relationship is.

In an interview with MTV last month, Tyson stressed that family had become his first priority over fame and fortune. "I would give all that up, if it caused me... losing what I have now: That little condo with my girlfriend and my daughter, and having a relationship with the rest of my kids," he said.

When James Toback, the director of the new documentary "Tyson", heard about the tragedy involving Exodus, he told a reporter, "Oh my God. Oh, my God. This is horrendous. ... There is no more careful a mother."

Toback said he has footage that shows how much both parents dote on Exodus.

With "Tyson," which takes a sympathetic look at the former boxer's life, in theaters now and a memoir in the works, Tyson's advisers, according to the New York Times, had hoped to reintroduce him to the public and launch some sort of post-boxing career.