Jennifer Hudson Remembers Late Mother Darnell Donerson 8 Years After Her Murder

Jennifer Hudson is honoring her late mother, Darnell Donerson, on what would have been her 66th birthday.

The Hairspray star shared a touching tribute on Instagram Monday along with a side-by-side collage of herself and a vintage photo of her mom.

“Today would have been my late mothers 66th bday! In her words ‘If you think you’ve seen it all just keep on living,'” Hudson, 35, captioned her post.

In October 2008, the American Idol alum learned that her mother, 57, and brother Jason, 29, were found fatally shot in the house where she grew up in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. In November, Hudson buried her family members at Oak Woods Cemetery, following a funeral at Apostolic Church of God with mourners Oprah Winfrey, Queen Latifah, Fantasia Barrino and music producer Clive Davis.

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Hudson’s former brother-in-law William Balfour, who was on parole at the time for a 1992 attempted murder conviction, was found guilty of killing Darnell and Jason. In addition, Balfour was convicted of the murder and abduction of Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew Julian. He is currently serving life in prison.