Family & Friends Mourn with Jennifer Hudson
An outpouring of family and friends joined Jennifer Hudson on Chicago’s South Side on Monday to mourn the loss of her mother, brother, and nephew, who died last month in a tragic homicide.
Oprah Winfrey, Missy Elliott, Patti LaBelle, Clive Davis, and Queen Latifah were among the hundreds of mourners who filled the Apostolic Church of God for the ceremony to celebrate the lives of Jennifer’s mother Darnell Donerson, her brother Jason, and her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King.
Fellow “American Idol” alum Fantasia Barrino performed “Your Grace and Mercy” at the open casket funeral service, while the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley both spoke. Fantasia called the Hudsons “my family” and walked off the stage where she took her friend’s hand and sang directly to her.
After a procession of three hearses and a horse-drawn trolley carrying her nephew’s coffin, Jennifer entered the church with her fiancé, David Ortunga. As the two-hour wake came to an end, Jennifer approached her family members’ coffins and spent a few moments with each. She leaned down to kiss her mother goodbye at one point.
The Oscar-winner has reportedly been staying at Oprah’s East Lake Shore Drive condo in Chicago during this difficult time.