She 'Blessed Me with Everything That I Have': Jamie Foxx Marks His Late Grandmother Estelle's Birthday

Jamie Foxx is remembering his late grandmother Estelle

Published Time: 07.05.2024 - 23:31:04 Modified Time: 07.05.2024 - 23:31:04

Jamie Foxx is remembering his late grandmother Estelle.

On Tuesday, May 7, Foxx, 56, shared an undated photo of himself posing with his arm on his grandmother's shoulder as he marked Estelle's birthday on Instagram.

"Happy heavenly birthday, Estelle Marie Talley my beautiful grandmother, who blessed me with everything that I have today," Foxx wrote in the caption to his post. "there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of you. I love you. #iwishyouwerehere and you had my curl fresh! In dis pic 😄"

Estelle played a major role in Foxx's upbringing in Texas. She and her husband Mark Talley became his primary caregivers when the actor, comedian and musician was just 7 months old, as Foxx wrote in his 2021 memoir Act Like You Got Some Sense. Foxx has consistently referenced her impact on his life on social media and in interviews and additionally marked Estelle's birthday on Instagram in 2021 and 2022.

"You adopted me at seven months… You filled me up with everything that I needed to be a successful young man," he wrote in a May 2021 caption, while sharing the same photo. "There’s not a day that goes bye and that I don’t feel your presence… May 7th will always be a day of joyous sweet memories…"

Foxx shared during an October 2012 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show that Estelle, who died in 2004, was the first person wh -

o encouraged him to play the piano growing up.

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"My grandmother said, 'I'm going to give you all the things that I wanted to give my other children, but they were little too old to understand,' " he recalled at the time. "So she said, 'I'm going to make sure you play the piano because I think that can get you on the other side of the tracks.' I'm sure she didn't put into her mind that it was going to be something like this, but she knew she had to get it across."

Similarly, Foxx referenced Estelle in a 2020 Instagram post while he celebrated landing an overall production deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment. "My grandmother used to say that I would do great things with great people and inspire a generation," he wrote at the time. "I know she’s looking down on me from heaven... saying. 'I’m proud of you son... against all odds my little big head boy from Terrell Texas done good!'

Foxx has a number of movie projects in the works or releasing later this year, including his Netflix movie with Cameron Diaz, Back in Action. He has also teased a long-awaited return to stand-up comedy in recent months.

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