Speaking out on the controversy after the rapper's corpse was propped up in a D.C. club for a viewing, his mother says, 'We wanted to celebrate his life, turning up having a party.'
- Apr 6, 2022
AceShowbiz - Goonew's family has spoken up after his memorial in a nightclub has sparked backlash. Defending the homegoing celebration against the criticism, his mother Patrice Morrow said, "That's how he wanted to go out."
"We wanted to give him a party. We didn't want to give him a farewell," Patrice told TMZ. Calling it "a beautiful celebration," the grieving mother added, "My son loves to have fun. He was the life of the party. That's why I sent him home that way, having a party."
Goonew's sister Ariana Morrow explained that her brother didn't go to church, "so that would be unlikely, very faking phony for us to put my brother in a casket and listen to gospel music, and a suit." She went on arguing, "That's how my brother would have wanted. Everything we did, not just for my mother but it was how my brother would have wanted."
Patrice and Ariana doubled down on the reason they held the funeral in the club in an interview with Fox 5 DC. "That's how he wanted to go out. We wanted to celebrate his life, turning up having a party," the rapper's mother claimed. "He didn't want us to be sad and crying. He always wanted people to be happy and have fun."
Patrice then addressed the criticism, saying, "For all the negatives, people probably don't even know nothing about us. They have no idea. People just saying what they want to say and that's fine. That's perfectly fine. I'm pleased with how I sent my son away." She added that she wishes "people would just let me grieve in peace."
Ariana, meanwhile, said that the family isn't trying to "clear anything up," and that those who take issue with how they choose to celebrate their loved one are "rude" and being "insensitive." She continued, "We don't care about anybody and what ya'll have to say negative. Nobody. We don't care. They're like, I know his mama wouldn't approve of that. Yeah, she did, she was on stage with us."
On Sunday, April 3, Goonew's dead body was propped up on the stage of Bliss Nightclub in Washington D.C. for a homegoing celebration. He was dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans with a crown on his head, while people were dancing around the stage. Following the service, he was taken by horse-drawn carriage through his neighborhood, before being buried at the cemetery.
After footage of the memorial spread online, people expressed their shock on social media over the supposedly disrespectful funeral. "No way Goonew mother allowed that (crap)," one fan reacted. Another pissed-off user commented, "horrifying to say the least."
The nightclub later released an apology, claiming that they were unaware of "what would transpire." The venue said in a statement, "Our deepest condolences to Goonew's family, friends and fans. Bliss was contacted by a local funeral home to rent out our venue for Goonew's home-going celebration."
"Bliss was never made aware of what would transpire," they added. "We sincerely apologize to all those who may be upset or offended. Please keep Goonew's family and friends in your prayers at this difficult time."
