Usher’s Heartbreak Over Dad’s Death
Usher regrets missing the chance to unite three generations of his family – his dad died without ever meeting the star’s first child.
The singer was estranged from his father, Usher Raymond III, for several years but the two eventually reconciled before his dad’s death in January 2008.
But the Yeah! hitmaker is upset he didn’t introduce his dad to his son Usher Raymond V, who was born just weeks before his tragic passing.
He says, “He wasn’t supposed to die. It wasn’t a life-threatening situation: he had liver problems, and was preparing to undergo surgery that would definitely have given him more time. But he didn’t make it.
“There’s not a day that I don’t wish my dad at least got a chance to see my son, who’s the fifth Usher Raymond. A lot of times, names were appointed to workers – or, rather, slaves – based off of things that they do. So the first Usher – my great-grandfather – could potentially have been an usher. Kinda hard to fathom, that one would be named based off of his duty, but that is the lineage of this black skin that I wear.”
