Entertainment
Singer Keyshia Cole’s mother Frankie Lons dies aged 61 after suffering overdose on her birthday
Keyshia Cole’s mother, Frankie Lons, died on Sunday while celebrating her 61st birthday (Picture: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Singer Keyshia Cole’s biological mother, Frankie Lons, had died at the age of 61.
According to TMZ, Lons died on Sunday as she celebrated her birthday in her Oakland home.
Lons overdosed at her party following a decades-long struggle with addiction.
Cole’s brother Sam confirmed the news to the publication as he stated the overdose was a relapse during Lons’ fight to remain sober.
He claimed the family wants the world to ‘remember Frankie as someone who loved her kids, and who wanted her children to be together’.
Cole was given up for adoption by Lons and her biological father, Virgil Hunter, at a very young age and ended up being raised by family friends.
Keyshia, who was put up for adoption as a child, reconnected with her mother after she found fame as a singer (Picture: Rick Diamond/WireImage for BET Network)
After she found fame as a singer, Cole was later reunited with her birth parents.
Their family dynamic was revealed to the world through Cole’s BET reality show, Keyshia Cole My New Life, in which she shared several heart-to-heart chats with her mother about her struggles.
News of Lons’ death first broke on social media after several family members shared their devastation online.
Cole’s sister Elite Noel wrote on Instagram Story: ‘Worse pain ever…. To see my mama in a body bag on her birthday! My heart so f**kin broke.(sic)’
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Meanwhile, Cole’s niece Zayya Henderson shared the news on Facebook as she wrote: ‘D**n grandma Frankie… the call I just got… on your birthday. I was just finna come see you this week I just talked to you… happy birthday beautiful and rest in heaven. (sic)’
Cole has not yet made a public comment about her mother’s death.
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