Hip Hop Icon Queen Latifah is mourning the death of her mother Rita Owens. Queen made a statement to E! News on Wednesday of her mother’s passing.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news my mother, Rita Owens passed away today. Anyone that has ever met her knows what a bright light she was on this earth.”
“She was gentle, but strong, sweet, but sassy, worldy but pragmatic, a woman of great faith and certainly the love of my life,” Latifah continued. “She had struggled with a heart condition for many years and her battle is now over. I am heart broken but know she is at peace. Thank you for your kindness, support and respect for our privacy at this time.”
Rita had been fighting Heart Failure for 14 years. She and Queen Latifah appeared on a PSA called “rising above” heart failure during the film break Queen shared with People magazine her role as her mother’s caregiver.
“I’ve just learned how much you can love a person and just how strong my mother is. I’ve come to respect her in ways you can’t even imagine.”
“As a caregiver,” the Girls Trip star reflected, “it’s just like being a parent, like some things really don’t matter. All the kind of frivolous things sort of fall to the side because there’s something way more important than all that. And when we go through these things together as a family, I realize, these are the important things, these are the important moments.”
Our prayers go out to the Queen and her family during this difficult time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Cxr7txpuo
