Solange’s Tribute to Her Late Gay Uncle Jonny Will Bring You to Tears – Out Magazine
Solange’s Touching Tribute to Her Late Gay Uncle Jonny Will Bring You to Tears
Beyoncé dedicated her critically-acclaimed seventh studio album, Renaissance, to her late gay uncle Jonny.
“A big thank you to my Uncle Jonny. He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album,” Queen Bey wrote on her website.
Now, a much older tribute to uncle Johnny shared by Bey’s sister Solange has resurfaced on social media, and it has fans feeling all the feels yet again. This tribute was shared as far back as September 2020 on Solange’s secondary Instagram profile, @cancersznisforever.
Solange wrote in the caption (edited for clarity):
“This is my uncle [Jonny]. I miss him a whole lot today. He was my nanny from 2 until 7, my caretaker, my best friend, my partner in crime (insert cocktail, and Barbie’s ass face down on probably a regular Tuesday afternoon while my parents were at work lol). I loved him and he made me feel safe and accepted my lil bad weird ass for who I was because he was just like meeee.”
She continued:
“He died pretty suddenly, (so did my childhood therapist who was there to help me cope with loss), and my very best friend Marsai. There’s something that happens to a child who experiences this kind of loss to people they feel the most safe and seen by. [You] prime yourself to expect if/when they get close to someone, the person will most likely leave them. [I’ve] been an expert at leaving people first, cutting peeps off, and going on about my day no tears shed… but now experiences in my life are stretching me and teaching me how to step into faith and the things I know to be true. what I am deserving of. I miss [Jonny] and [Jonny] would be proud of meeeee.”
It seems like Uncle Johnny’s death was an incredibly turbulent time in Solange’s life given that she also lost her best friend Marsai and childhood therapist immediately after. With that said, Solange’s description of her late gay uncle is very much in line with how Beyoncé described him following the release of Renaissance, which means that this was a man who truly meant the world to these two sisters.
Unfortunately, the world didn’t get to meet this fabulous gay man who raised Beyoncé and Solange. Thankfully, though, his legacy will live on through their music.