Usher has laid his grandmother Tina Carter to rest following her passing on Christmas Eve.
In his initial heartwarming tribute, the Confessions crooner praised “Grandma Tina” as a source of light for whoever she came in contact with, and said he had lost a rock in his life.
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“It’s taken me a few days to come to grips with the fact that my Grandma Tina is no longer with me. I’m praying for clarity and strength for all whom relied on her,” he wrote. “Her daily devotion was to help those in need and she did just that. It was her life’s work. She was truly a prayer warrior for me and so many others. I feel a bit lost right now.”
He continued: “Her belief was that GOD always has a plan…I’m trying to understand that right now. The other half of me continues to break silently. We were just laughing days ago … I really thought we had more time. When I was lost, she was always there when I called on her, no matter the hour or how long it took…GOD answered her prayers…and now I know he has called her home. I just wasn’t ready.
“Her last words to me were, ‘There’s a time for everything son …there’s a time to laugh, a time to cry…there’s a time to live and a time to die.’ When I was broken, confused, lost and most vulnerable. She saw something else…and was there to remind me of purpose, and that no matter what I was facing. I love u more, she would say.”
Usher echoed this sentiment with another poignant tribute to his grandmother on Sunday (January 8) following her funeral, which saw the pews packed with loved ones.
“We love you more, Grandma Tina. Rest in Paradise,” he wrote in his Instagram caption, while sharing several photos from the “celebration of life” service.
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Usher, wearing a black suit and tie, could be seen saying his final goodbyes to his grandmother while stood in front of her open casket next to a relative, who he was also photographed hugging.
Another photo showed gospel singer Kirk Franklin gracing the mic in front of the congregation with his arms held out wide.
Grandma Tina had her own Instagram page, and in her last post in October, Usher could be seen asking his audience to pray for his grandmother as her health declined.
“To God be the Glory my dear Grandson,” Ms. Tina, who was 87 years old at the time of her death, wrote in her caption. “keep praying and believe God!”
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Many of Usher’s peers sent love and support in the comments section, including Jacquees, Halle Berry, Lil Jon, Bun B, Angie Martinez and more.
While Usher’s 2023 is off to a difficult start, the “Yeah!” singer had a stellar 2022, including a successful Las Vegas residency and a viral Tiny Desk performance that turned him into a meme.
“I was blown away, I was shocked,” Usher told Twitter Music of his viral success. “I think I was in Los Angeles somewhere and they were like, ‘Yo, you know you going viral?’ I’m like, ‘It’s good, right?”
“Then I looked on and I saw a few people do it. Then I saw more people doing what I had done and it just kept going and kept going and I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. This is something special.'”
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When asked where the inspiration came from to strike the iconic pose during his rendition of “Superstar,” Usher said it just came to him in the moment.
“I don’t know where the inspiration sometimes comes from,” he said. “It could have been anything. It could have been Prince. Somebody had speculated that Prince had done something like this before.
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“I don’t know, but I do know that I felt like that was the right thing to do in that moment that would just kinda like give people a good time. It just happened, I didn’t plan it. It just happened.”
