Usher says the pain of his stepson's death in 2012 lingers.
"It hurt," the eight-time Grammy winner and Super Bowl LVIII headliner told People magazine.
Usher was married to stylist Tameka Foster from 2007 to 2009 and they share sons Usher V, now 16, and Naviyd, now 15. During their marriage, Usher was a stepparent to Foster's then 11-year-old son Kile Glover.
Kile was riding an inner tube in Georgia's Lake Lanier in 2012 when he was hit in the head by a watercraft driven by a family friend. Kile was later removed from life support.
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Usher told People that Foster was in Italy when the tragedy hit.
“I chartered a private plane to get her home because she was so distraught," he told the outlet. "We were not even together. It’s a real hard thing to lose a child. There’s not a day that his brothers and his mother don’t think about him.”
The R&B singer told People that he and Foster still speak for the sake of their biological sons, adding, “I’m not going to lie, we have more difficult days than we have great ones."
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The next year, the former couple dealt with another blow when 5-year-old Usher V almost drowned in his father's Atlanta pool.
According to TODAY.com, the little boy got stuck in the pool's drain and adults on scene could not free him. Two contractors present at Usher's home pulled Usher V out of the pool and one gave him CPR. Usher V was taken to a hospital where his condition was “conscious, alert and breathing."
Usher told People that the event made for "one of the hardest days of my life," adding of Foster, "and I’m certain one of the hardest days of hers.” As the outlet reported, a judge did not find Usher negligent.
“I love my boys, and I would never do anything to compromise or endanger them," Usher told People, adding that he and Foster are "doing our best" to co-parent.
In 2015, Usher married his ex-manager Grace Miguel, and they divorced in 2018.
Usher subsequently sparked a romance with his best friend, music executive Jennifer Goicoechea; the couple welcomed daughter Sovereign in 2020 and son Sire in 2021.
Usher and Goicoechea got married on Feb. 11, 2024, aka, Super Bowl Sunday, according to NBC News, three days after getting their marriage licenses.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
