Mothers are precious gifts. And few know that better than rapper, Trina, whose mother, Vernessa “Nessa” Taylor, died on this week. She was 62.
Taylor passed away at following a long battle with cancer.
“Thank you all for your kind words and condolences regarding Trina’s mother,” a rep for Trina told ET in a statement. “It truly gives the family some peace and comfort knowing that ‘Nessa’ lived such a fulfilling life filled with love and abundance."
“On behalf of Trina and her family, we ask that you keep them in your prayers and give them their privacy as they mourn the loss of her mother, grandmother, aunt and role model to many,” the statement continued. “We truly appreciate your ongoing support and continued love.”
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The statement revealed a powerful bond Taylor shared with her famous daughter, noting that Trina was “doing as to be expected,” and that loved ones were making efforts to keep her grounded and “in good spirits.”
Trina has gone quiet on social media about her mother’s passing, but in June, she posted a picture of her writing, “My entire world...my strength, my weakness, my reason for never giving up, my peace, my joy, my EVERYTHING.”
Trina paid tribute to her mom in her 2017 song, “Mama (The One,)” which included lyrics about wanting to pass away before her mother so that she wouldn’t have to deal with the loss.
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“My mom was kind of sick when I was in the studio making this song and I was like in a really down place,” she said in an interview with Grammy.com. “I was just in there recording one night, finishing my album and I called her on the phone, she wasn’t feeling so good, and so that was kind of what inspired the song. I went into the studio with all this emotion and love.”
She then imparted some advice.
“Respect, admire, love your mom. You only get one mom in the entire world. You can never, ever get another one. No matter what happens, one only comes your way, that’s a blessing.”
Although progress has been made in reducing the cancer mortality gap, African Americans continue to have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial or ethnic group for most cancers, according to a study released Monday by the American Cancer Society.
“[The death rate] is going downward — that’s an important thing to acknowledge,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, the society’s chief medical officer. “But we can do better.”
Deaths among blacks for all cancers combined have been decreasing since the early 1990s, translating to more than 300,000 deaths averted, the study found. Cancer death rates for the U.S. population overall fell by 22 percent since peaking in 1991, a drop largely attributed to advances in prevention and basic and clinical research, as well as policy changes such as tobacco-control legislation, workplace protections against carcinogens and insurance reimbursement for cancer screening.
Overall cancer deaths have declined more for blacks than for whites, particularly for black men, narrowing the cancer mortality gap to 24 percent higher in black males than while males in 2012, down from 47 percent higher in 1990.
No matter what cancer it was that took the life of Trina's mom, we say "Rest well, Vernessa."
