Pusha T Fights Back Tears While Reflecting on Death of His Parents

Pusha T is known for his ruthless rhymes, but even he shed a tear while reflecting on the death of his parents.

During an interview with Charlamagne Tha God to promote his upcoming album It’s Almost Dry, King Push recalled the loss of his parents, Mildred and Gene Thornton, who passed within four months of each other.

When asked how he copes with such devastating loss, Pusha was overcome with emotion. “I think the one thing that’s helped me deal with grief right now… I just know I was good with my parents, both of them, like really good. I grieve selfishly, I’m grieving now,” he said.

He paused as tears filled his eyes. “They’re alright, I know it,” he added before wiping away a tear.

He asked for a tissue and continued on despite the challenging subject matter.

Pusha announced the death of his mother, Mildred Thornton, in November. “I love you Ma, thank you for sticking around to meet your grand baby,” he wrote in a tribute on Instagram.

Four months later in March, Pusha’s father, Gene Elliott Thornton Sr., passed away. “I love you Dad…you taught me to remain poised, to always be calculated, to be prideful, and to respect hustle and hard work but to know the difference between the two,” the rapper wrote alongside a photo of his dad with his son, Nigel Brixx, who was born in June 2020. “I am who I am because of you and I’ve always been proud to be your son.”

Elsewhere, he reflected on his legacy and what it means in the wake of his parents’ passing.

“Legacy is everything for me because I understand in their passing, I have so many great things to reference and with a tainted legacy, you don’t have that,” he said. “I think about my son and he’s going to be able to look at the legacy of his dad and be like, ‘Aww, man, he was like amazing.’”

Pusha is gearing up for his highly-anticipated album It’s Almost Dry. Last week, he dropped his new single “Neck and Wrist” featuring JAY-Z and Pharrell Williams.

Watch the full interview below.