Jazmine Sullivan is mourning the loss of her mother, Pam Sullivan. The R&B singer revealed the painful news about her mom’s death via Instagram on July 24.
“I don’t have the words yet mommy. So for now I’ll say thank you thank you thank you,” the Heux Tales artist captioned a beautiful black and white photo of her mother as a child. “Rest now butterfly 🦋 10/26/58- 07/22/23💔.”
Pam’s cause of death has not been revealed.
Before her untimely passing, Pam was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 2019. When doctors made the shocking discovery, Sullivan told fans that the news “flipped their world upside down.”
“Our days were no longer filled with convos of u telling me to hurry up and finish my project, but of chemo treatments and hospital visits. Shit got real, fast,” the Grammy Award winner penned in a Mother’s Day tribute on Instagram in 2020.
Throughout the rough patch, the R&B hitmaker said she learned the power of resilience by watching her mother’s day-to-day cancer battle. “If being your daughter has taught me one thing it is how to work with something ugly, painful even, and make it a work of art. So that’s what we’ve been doing since October. Trying to make beauty of this ugliness,” she added. “You mommy, are the prettiest picture, the best lyrics and the sweetest melody I’ve ever heard.”
In 2021, Sullivan, 36, launched her More Than Just Words Initiative alongside Novartis just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
During an interview on People’s Everyday podcast, the “Need U Bad” singer said she wanted to provide resources and solutions for breast cancer victims who have experienced disparities with treatment, screening and overall healthcare.
“It’s scary to have gone through this with your parent and to know that you’re more at risk, but what I have learned is that information is key and knowing earlier can do so much more good than harm,” the star shared.
Black women are disproportionately impacted by breast cancer. According to the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Black women have a “31% Breast Cancer mortality rate–the highest of any U.S. racial or ethnic group.”
Sullivan was extremely close to her mother. In a 2022 interview with Hello Beautiful, the R&B goddess called her mom her “biggest influencer.”
“My mother is my biggest influencer – she’s actually here today,” Sullivan told the outlet while attending the Time 100 gala. “She is battling breast cancer for the second time, and I am really happy to have her be here. She has encouraged me and influenced me since I was born. So, I am so happy she is here.”
We’re sending Jazmine Sullivan love and light during this difficult time.
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