Usher’s parents sadly won’t both be on the sidelines for the biggest show of his career.
But the superstar heading to the Super Bowl has still feeling the love!
Usher is performing the Super Bowl halftime show on February 11, 2024. While a slew of famous guest stars are set to perform, having his family in the house means so much to him.
Of course, his four kids must be thrilled, as well as his doting girlfriend.
But what about Usher’s parents? His father passed away some time ago, but here is what we know about both of them.
Usher’s Father, Usher Raymond III
Usher was named after his farther, Usher Raymond III.
However, for most of his life, a name was really all that he shared.
During an interview with Oprah in 2017, Usher revealed how his father struggled drug addiction. He also revealed he was absent most of his life.
It was many years later, well into Usher being a grown man himself, that he decided it was time to reconnect with his father. But by then, it was basically too late.
Usher’s father had been admitted to the intensive care unit in 2007, being in need of a liver transplant.
After seeking advice from his good friend Nelly, Usher put his anger aside to help his father get treatment. Life had other plans
His father slipped into a coma during the transplant and never recovered.
“The hardest part of this story,” Usher told Oprah during his interview, “is the fact that, within the process of making the decision of whether my father lives or dies, if they take him off of the [breathing] machine, my son is across town just being born.”
His eldest son is also named Usher, after the men who have come before in the family.
Usher’s Mom, Jonnetta Patton, The OG “Momager”
Given that Usher’s dad was absent, for many years, he was raised by his single mom, Jonnetta.
While she did remarry, it’s clear that her priority was always her son and his career. For 17 years, Jonnetta was Usher’s manager, something he has said he was thankful for, particularly when he started to get hufe.
“This is a true testament,” Usher said later in the Oprah interview, “to an entrepreneurial woman who just really made it a lot easier for me to just focus on my craft while she was able to climb this ladder and have one of the largest acts of this time. She just was no nonsense. And I reaped the benefits of that.”
After managing her son’s success, Jonnetta went on to become the owner of a management company and production space, per ESSENCE.