Kirk Franklin Shares Tearful 1st Meeting With Dying Dad He Never Knew: ‘I Hated Him’
Kirk Franklin has accomplished great feats throughout his musical career. He’s won 12 Grammy’s, had several multiplatinum albums and more. When it comes to his personal life though, he proves that just like us regular folks, he’s had his fair shares of ups, downs and outright traumatic hardships. That brings us to what he’s just revealed about his dying father, whom he’s just met the other day and the tearful revelation he’s gained as a result of their meeting.
Kirk Franklin Shares Details Of Emotional 1st Meeting With Dying Father
The 48-year-old gospel legend was abandoned by his parents as child. He was then adopted at 4-years-old by his then 64-year-old maternal grandmother, Gertrude – who coincidentally sold aluminum cans to earn money to pay for piano lessons for Kirk at that time. Well, now he’s grateful to finally have met his Father during his Dad’s last days of life. Here is the emotional post he shared on Instagram early Sunday (Aug. 16, 2018):
Kirk Franklin: “So…..Two days ago, I received an anonymous call that my biological father, who I never knew, has 3-6 months to live. I’ve lived my entire life hating this man. He and my biological mother gave me up for adoption, and it left me never feeling good enough….to this very day.
I took my hate for him and used it as fuel to be the best father I could be for my own. But what I did wrong, is I never took that fuel, and turn it into forgiveness….and that is wrong. Wrong for him, me, and the God I proclaim to represent.
How can I preach what I don’t practice. So I flew to Houston yesterday to do that. It’s painful, it’s a process, but how disappointed I would be in myself for this man to leave this earth without being forgiven. He deserves to receive what God gives me everyday. Pray for him, and for me. God this is hard…I weep as I write.”
In prior interviews and blogs, Kirk explained some of the “most painful memories” of his childhood, in which he gave details about incidents he endured as a result of his his parents. See details below…
The Painful Memories Kirk Franklin Revealed About His Past With His Mom & Dad
Kirk Franklin wrote an open letter to his absentee mother in 2015 and here’s part of what he confessed:
KF: “If you know me, then you know me. You know I carry a lot of issues on my shoulders about how I was raised, and how I missed having a mother. I’ve even found myself being jealous a little at how much love I’ve seen my wife Tammy give my sons. The doting care and attention she gives them has deepened their self-confidence to do anything placed in front of them. Even the discipline (whenever needed) is a sign to them that consequences are a real part of life and that they need to choose wisely. I often sit in the corners of their room and watch all of this with a yearning for a chance to have had that in my life when I was young.
No matter how many accomplishments may have passed through my life, one “I’m proud” from the woman who gave me life would have trumped every Grammy I’ve ever gotten.
Don’t get me wrong, Gertrude was a saint! She’s the lady who adopted me and steered my life into faith and music. But I limped through her love…”
In a separate 2015 blog post, Franklin disclosed one of his many most painful experiences as a child:
“One of my most painful memories as a kid was of a time that my biological mother told me and my half sister that she was coming to pick us up and take us to the state fair of Texas.”
Their mom never came that day, even though they stood outside for hours with anticipation of her arrival. Here’s how Franklin views his mother now:
“The memories of my real mother were of a distant aunt or female relative who would stop by five to six times a year. My sister and I both felt this abandonment, me being adopted and her living several places as a little girl.”
Kirk Franklin has managed to not allow his past to fully defeat him. Unfortunately, his newly incarcerated sister has had a much tougher time overcoming the traumatizing effects forced upon her through her parents and upbringing.
