Keyshia Cole breaks silence after mom’s death: ‘I’m not ready for this’

Cole took a brief hiatus from social media after the news broke but returned Thursday night to celebrate Frankie Lons' life.

Keyshia Cole is celebrating the life of her late mother alongside family and friends on social media.

Earlier this week, on Monday, the singer’s siblings and other kin confirmed the death of Frankie Lons, the former reality TV star who passed away after battling drugs for decades. According to TMZ, Lons’ cause of death was a drug overdose, which occurred while she celebrated her 61st birthday in her Oakland, California home the day before.

Singer Keyshia Cole (left), pictured with her mother, Frankie Lons, who died from a drug overdose on her 61st birthday after relapsing. (Photo: @keyshiacole/Instagram)

Cole took a brief hiatus from social media after the news broke, but she returned Thursday night to celebrate her mother’s life. She went on Instagram Live with a few friends, where they toasted to Lons and vowed to learn her mother’s dance, called “The Frankie Leg.”

A grieving Cole later thanked her fans and followers for sending her love, telling them, “I really did think it was the best thing to come on here. I don’t even think it was the right time or the wrong time because I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready to even be on this Live right now. I’m not ready for that. But I’m here, and I’m present, and I’m showing up. And that’s, I think, what, for me, matters right now.”

In addition to going on Instagram Live, Cole, a mother of two, shared photos of Lons with loved ones over the years and wrote a lengthy message to her in the caption. She admitted her mother’s death “is so hard” and said she “Can’t really even find the words. SMH. I honestly don’t even know how to feel. You can never prepare for something like this… Ever!!! but you will be missed.”

She credited Lons for having a “humor” that was “unmatched” and listed out phrases she would use that even Cole is now using. “For weeks, I’ve been quoting you,” she wrote of Lons, “from the goose that laid the golden egg to calling Neffe shoes slow burners, cause they were bought scuffed up already ?.”

“I created this post to show my love and appreciation for your life and I would like to thank my fans + supporters, shooot your supporters and fans, for being here with us during these hard times, and the love that you all have for us … the love for all your children was definitely felt,” Cole maintained. “When u said all you want is to have ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN IN ONE PLACE, AT ONE TIME meant the most to you, And I’m completely down to do that for you. Even through our differences … WE LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!! Frank da bank!”

In the early 2000s, Lons gained a fanbase of her own after Cole’s reality television series on BET gave fans a closer look into the “Heaven Sent” singer’s personal life. Fans were introduced to Lons in Cole’s first show, Keyshia: The Way It Is, then, eventually, Lons and Cole’s sister, Neffeteria Pugh, received a BET spin-off called Frankie & Neffe, in which Lons’ issues with drug addiction were addressed.

On those shows, Cole spoke frequently with her mother about her disease and always attempted to encourage her to get the help she needed.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!

SHARE THIS ARTICLE