All about Usher's parents, Johnetta Patton and Usher Raymond III

Usher's parents, Johnetta Patton and Usher Raymond III, influenced his life and career.

The R&B singer's mother was instrumental in his success in the '90s and early 2000s. Johnetta not only helped him make business decisions, but also encouraged his son to reach his potential.

“The ambition that I had to become this type of entertainer was first and foremost my mother's spirit,” Usher said in a September 2023 interview with Grant Cardone.

Most recently, the artist performed at the 2024 Super Bowl, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers. But before NFL teams went into overtime, Usher sang his own greatest hits on the field and took time during the musical event to pay tribute to Johnetta's hard work.

“They said I wouldn't make it. They said I wouldn't be here today, but I'm here. Hey, Mom, we made it. Now, this, this… It's yours!'' he said.

Usher's father struggled with addiction and died in January 2008 from health problems. Their relationship was strained, but they reconciled in Raymond's later years.

“My father and I spent only a small amount of time together throughout our lives, but the most precious moments were in my father's final days,” he said. essence. “He asked me to forgive him for not being there.”

Here's everything you need to know about Usher's parents, Johnetta Patton and Usher Raymond III.

They married in 1977 and Usher is their only child

Johnetta and Raymond married in 1977 and welcomed Asher Raymond IV the following year.

After divorcing in 1979, Johnetta married Terry Patton two years later. Johnetta and Terry celebrated the birth of their son, James “J. Luck” Lackey, in 1984 during their nearly 10-year marriage.

According to , Johnetta raised Usher and J. Luck in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she directed the youth church choir and noticed her eldest son's talent for singing. new york times.

The musical gene was passed down to J. Luck, and Usher has expressed pride in his brother's work over the years.

“I'm so proud of him. J. Luck has his own unique personality,” he said on MTV in 2007. “Many celebrity siblings and family members always end up in the shadows. But he's different.”

Johnetta served as Usher's manager early in his career.

Wanting to help her son rise to stardom, Johnetta initially served as Usher's manager and helped guide him through his early career.

In the 1990s, Usher was a member of the Tennessee boy group New Beginning, but Johnetta quickly realized that she had potential as a solo performer. She moved her family to Atlanta, but her decision was incomprehensible to the young singer at the time.

“We had a record deal, so we had music, but it felt like my world was being taken away from me,” he told Cardone in September 2023. Solo artist, and there's something incredible inside you. ”

The “My Boo” artist felt like his dream career was slipping away, but his mother reassured him it was all part of her plan. “'We're going to work this out. We're going to do it. I'm going to start all the way down,'” Usher recalled Johnetta saying.

Usher's mother set him up for success

Shortly after moving to Atlanta, Usher began performing around the city and met LaFace Records co-founder LA Reid when he won a talent show. According to the artist, this introduction was a turning point for him and his career started to take off.

Usher found management, but Johnetta wanted to continue to be part of the conversation about her career. In a 2020 interview with OWN, she said that she knows how to separate her relationship with Usher from the business side of things. Still, their partnership lasted until around 2007, with the “Yeah” vocalist later revealing the reason behind their joint decision.

“We started to separate when I wanted to expand my practice in other areas that I felt like she didn't necessarily consider,” he explained on a September 2017 episode of Oprah's Master Class. Did.

“There's a lot of love there and a lot of respect…and she was steadfast in what she felt I deserved,” he continued, adding that he had her by his side at an exciting moment in his career. He added that he still feels nostalgic.

That said, Johnetta has always praised Usher and his accomplishments, including when he announced that he would be performing at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show. “Thank you Jesus!!! Proud mama!!!! So well deserved!!!! Good luck for 30 years!!!!” she wrote on Instagram alongside a poster for the event.

Usher's mother was also there in person to witness his special moment.

Johnetta is a business owner

As Usher's stardom grew, Johnetta began her entrepreneurial journey by founding JPat Management in 2008. luck. This independent record label started when she bought a building with a music studio, a dance studio, and an office space and made it available for rent.

Almost a decade later, in 2016, she opened J's Kitchen Culinary Incubator, a commercial shared kitchen in Atlanta.talk to atlanta magazineJohnetta revealed that Usher's former music studio has been converted into spaces including a private kitchen, a bakery kitchen, a tasting room, and a meeting room.

According to the company's website, the facility was “established to provide early-stage business support to culinary entrepreneurs.”

Johnetta's bio states that she strives to “combine her business experience, vast professional network, and love of the culinary arts” to “elevate today's up-and-coming food artisans into tomorrow's food service moguls.” It is stated that.

In an October 2023 interview with Atlanta News First, Johnetta said she also plans to launch a film and television production company, Lion Queen Entertainment.

Asher and his father were reunited before he died.

Throughout Usher's childhood, his father struggled with addiction and was often uninvolved in his son's life. In 2007, Asher contacted Raymond because she “wanted to have a relationship with him” and discovered his father was having health problems.

The singer later told OWN that her friend and fellow musician Nelly encouraged her to reconcile with Raymond while her father was in the hospital needing a liver transplant. Asher decides to pay for the surgery, but Raymond falls into a coma, forcing the artist to make a difficult choice.

“The most difficult part of this story is when my father makes the life-or-death decision, if he is taken away from school, [breathing] Machine, my son is just across the town from where he was born, ”he told the network.

Usher's son, Usher Raymond V, was born two months before his father passed away in January 2008. In June of the same year, Asher said: mirror How he felt when he met his father.

“I was happy that I was able to do that, I was happy that I had the closing, I was happy that I forgave him for not being there, and I was happy that he really loved me. I was also happy to know that,” Asher said.

Over the next month, he detailed the lessons he learned from personal experience. “I don't criticize his father, because I forgave him for everything he did to hurt me unintentionally,” the singer said. essence.

Johnetta is the grandmother of Asher's four children

In November 2007, Usher and his then-wife Tameka Foster welcomed their first child, Usher “Cinco” Raymond V. Days after his birth, Johnetta told PEOPLE, “I'm so happy to welcome a grandson to our family.”

“I am so excited and filled with joy about the birth of my grandson Asher Raymond V,” she said at the time. “He is beautiful, precious, healthy and so blessed. I am so happy for my son and his wife. God has truly given them special gifts. This year is a wonderful holiday for all of us. It’s going to be a season.”

Asher and Foster welcomed their second son, Navid Ely, in December 2008. Asher and Foster then welcomed daughter Sovereign Beau in September 2020 with wife Jen Goicoechea, and son Sire Castrello in September 2021.

Usher's mother was a witness at his wedding

When Usher and Goicoechea tied the knot after performing at the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2024, Johnetta served as the couple's witness at the ceremony, according to a marriage certificate obtained by PEOPLE.

“We can confirm that Usher and Jennifer Goicoechea took the next step in their relationship and did indeed get married on Sunday night in Las Vegas surrounded by their closest friends and family,” a representative tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. . “We both look forward to continuing to raise our children together, surrounded by love, and thank you for all your blessings.”