Having a rap superstar like Nelly for a father can’t be easy.
But some of Nelly’s children have gone through something more tragic than anyone could have ever imagined.
Nelly’s Sister’s, Jackie Donahue, Heart-Wrenching News
In 2003, Nelly took in the kids of his late sister and best friend, Jackie.
What happened to them was heart-wrenching.
Though few were aware, Nelly’s rise to fame in the early 2000s was also a time filled with immense pain for him and his family.
When Nelly became a hip hop superstar, he hired Jackie to work as his stylist.
In 2001, Jackie went to see a doctor after feeling unusually tired.
At that time, Nelly thought that her fatigue was just because she wasn’t used to his demanding tour schedule.
But Jackie also started to experience severe pain all over her body.
When she was finally checked by a doctor, the diagnosis was one that would change their lives forever.
Jackie was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, which is a form of cancer.
However, at first, it seemed like there might be a way out.
After treatment, Jackie actually went into remission for about two years.
But in 2003, the cancer returned.
Nelly Launched Campaign To Help Save Sister’s Life
Doctors told Jackie and Nelly that they needed to find a bone marrow donor.
Their search led them to launch the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign.
The campaign aimed to raise awareness about the need for bone marrow donations and to encourage African Americans to sign up as donors.
The campaign got nearly 2,000 people to sign up, including Nelly.
But tragically, none of the donors turned out to be a match for Jackie.
Without a transplant, Jackie’s health continued to decline, and she passed away in March 2005 at just 31 years old.
In a statement shared by Today, Jackie’s family said that they were “deeply saddened” by her passing.
They also thanked everyone who had supported the campaign’s bone marrow drive.
In the statement, Jackie was remembered for her “loving spirit, energy, and unshakable faith.”
The loss was devastating for Nelly.
But it must’ve been even worse for Jackie’s children.
However, there wasn’t much time to mourn.
Nelly’s Kids Appeared On Nellyville
With Jackie gone, it was Nelly who had to step in and take care of her children.
He adopted his niece and nephew, Sydney and Lil Shawn.
They moved in with Nelly and his two biological children, Chanelle and Cornel III, also known as Tre.
The children appeared on Nelly’s reality show, Nellyville.
The show, which aired from 2014 to 2015, gave many people their first look at Nelly’s home life with his kids.
On the show, viewers got to see more about his adopted children.
In 2015, Sydney mentioned on Nellyville that she dreamed of becoming a model when she grew up.
After getting the chance to try it, she was surprised by how difficult it was.
She even said that she never realized how hard walking could be.
What Are Nelly’s Kids Up To?
Years after the show ended, in 2020, Sydney’s life changed when she gave birth to her son, Cross Kapone Wimbley.
She celebrated his second birthday on Instagram, calling him her world and the reason she kept going.
Lil Shawn, on the other hand, has continued to follow his dreams of getting into show business like his uncle and adoptive father.
According to his Instagram page, Lil Shawn, also known as Tab, is an artist.
But he’s also tried out other things, such as making video game streams and tutorials on his YouTube channel.
So far, his channel has gained almost 6,000 subscribers.
Like Sydney, Lil Shawn has also become a father.
He has a baby girl named Mahalia Shine.
In September 2020, he posted a photo of his daughter on Instagram.
He captioned it with a joke about celebrating her being 19 days old and calling it her “first photoshoot.”
Nelly’s biological daughter Chanelle has also become a mother.
She shared on social media that she had given birth to a son named Ace.
So, even though Nelly is supposedly preparing to have another baby with Ashanti, he’s already been a grandfather for some time.
Nelly Speaks Out On Parenthood
But he doesn’t seem overwhelmed by it, as he always seems to handle the challenges of parenthood well.
In a 2015 interview on The Real, Nelly talked about how he raised his children.
He explained that he always just let things happen, saying, “You have to let the youth be the youth.”
He added that he allows his kids to make their own mistakes, but he’s always there to guide them.
In the same interview, Nelly discussed being a single father.
He talked about how important it is to have single fathers rather than just baby daddies.
This shows Nelly’s focus on being involved in his kids’ lives, not just staying distant from them.
After such a tragic loss, Nelly has done his best to be a parent to Sydney and Lil Shawn.
Nelly Honors Late Sister On Dancing With The Stars
A few years ago, during his time on Dancing With The Stars, Nelly honored their late mother in a special way.
In 2020, he and his dance partner Daniella Karagach performed a rumba to the song Nobody Knows by Tony Rich.
During the show, Nelly revealed that this song was one of Jackie’s favorites.
Before the performance, Nelly shared his thoughts about Jackie, calling her a “real tough cookie” and saying that she was the “captain of the ship” until she could no longer be.
He also reflected on the moment he realized he was going to lose Jackie, calling it one of the worst days of his life.
Nelly recalled that in the last days of Jackie’s life, she worried about her children’s future.
But Nelly assured her that she didn’t have to worry and that he would take care of them.
Still, Nelly stressed that looking after Sydney and Lil Shawn was “a whole family effort.”
After all they’ve been through, it’s good that they had Nelly to rely on.
But right about now, Ashanti will probably be hoping that Nelly can show the same level of attentiveness with their newborn as he always has with his other kids.
Nelly Arrested For Possession Of Illegal Substances
Things got off to a shaky start when Nelly got arrested so soon after their baby son was born.
According to The Shade Room, the rapper was taken into custody just before 5 am on August 7 of last year.
He was reportedly charged with possession of illegal substances after being pulled over by police.
He was also alleged to be facing trouble for having no insurance.
In a statement, the police said that they had arrested him for Failure to Appear on an old traffic charge.
He was later released, and a representative for the rapper has made a statement in his defense.
His attorney, Scott Rosenblum, denied the charge against his client.
He said that the rapper had not actually been charged with anything to do with substance possession, but instead for having no proof of insurance.
Rumors Suspect Ashanti Is Furious About Nelly’s Arrest
Rumors soon spread that Ashanti was furious with Nelly for letting her down.
But fortunately, they look like they’ve made up in more recent public outings.
The last thing their family needs is any more heartache.
