Usher Reveals the Most Difficult Part of Losing His Estranged Father

Usher Raymond IV, the Grammy winner known by his fans simply as Usher, says that, growing up, his father, Usher Raymond III, struggled with drug addiction and was absent from his namesake's life. By the time the R&B star was ready to reconnect with his dad, in his adulthood, the elder Usher had been admitted to the intensive care unit and was in need of a liver transplant.

The younger Usher had a choice: He could pay for his estranged father's transplant in hopes that they could later reconnect, or he could walk away. After getting advice from his friend and fellow artist Nelly, Usher put his anger aside and chose to help his dad. Unfortunately, his father slipped into a coma during the transplant and never recovered.

"The hardest part of this story," Usher says, "is the fact that, within the process of making the decision of whether my father lives or dies, if they take him off of the [breathing] machine, my son is across town just being born."

Here, Usher reflects on the idea of legacy and shares what he took away from the trying experience with his father.

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