Getty Usher and ex-wife Tameka Foster at a custody hearing in 2012.
Musician and dancer Usher Raymond and his ex-wife Tameka Foster got divorced in 2009.
Now, Foster is releasing a memoir about her life and struggles, her side of the divorce, and the death of her son, Kile. “Here I stand…In a Beautiful State” is now available for pre-order. In an appearance on The Tamron Hall Show, Foster promoted the book and revealed new details about the death of her son.
In 2012, Foster’s 11-year-old son (Usher’s stepson) was tubing on Lake Lanier in Georgia when a jet ski crashed into him. Two weeks later, he died as a result of his injuries. Foster told Hall that Usher called her to let her know about the accident. She found it odd that her ex-husband was calling her. It was a sign that something had gone horribly wrong.
Foster’s book is a tale of resilience after tragedy strikes. All pre-ordered books will be shipped on September 15.
Foster Forgives the Family Friend Who Killed Her Son
The driver of the jet ski that crashed into Kile was a family friend named Jeffrey Hubbard. In an interview with Essence, Foster says she has forgiven Hubbard.
“I forgive him. I forgave him a long time ago because I know that it wasn’t intentional. The accident wasn’t intentional. It was exactly that—it was an accident. He went to jail for it, just for the negligence. I forgive him because I think he’s suffering (too) and I think he’s suffering enough,” Foster said.
Hubbard was sentenced to four years in prison in 2014. He was found guilty of homicide by vessel, serious injury by vessel, and unlawful operation of a personal watercraft. A 15-year-old girl who was on the tube with Kile was also severely injured in the accident but lived.
Foster Almost Died During Plastic Surgery
Part of Foster’s decision to write a memoir was her desire to clear up some rumors that have circulated about her. One of those rumors? That she’s dead.
In 2009, Foster went to Brazil to undergo a liposuction procedure, but the cosmetic surgery was never completed. After receiving general anesthesia, Foster went into cardiac arrest. She was put into an induced coma and nearly died.
A press release via Aces Showbiz reveals that Foster once had a conversation with three women on a beach in Bali and when she told them who her ex-husband was, they didn’t believe her. They didn’t believe her because they insisted Usher’s ex-wife had died.
“They were referring to her near-death experience in Brazil, which has been grossly misreported in the media. After that hilarious and memorable conversation on the beach, Raymond knew she had to write a book. It was time to clear up all the rumors and outright lies about her fashion career, her marriage, and her parenting,” the press release reads.
Usher and Foster’s Son Almost Drowned in 2013
In 2013, Foster requested an emergency custody hearing after her son Usher V nearly drowned while swimming in Usher’s pool. The judge dismissed the case and Usher maintained primary custody of his two sons with Foster, Usher V and Navivyd Ely.
The near-drowning occurred on August 6, 2013 when Usher V’s arm got stuck in a pool drain. The 5-year-old boy was rescued from the pool and brought to the ICU in an ambulance. The close call occurred just a year after Foster’s son Kile died.
At the emergency hearing, CNN reported that Foster testified, “I don’t know if my son is going to have a brain defect. I don’t know if his heart is operating correctly. I don’t know if my son’s going to be 100% the boy he was before this incident.”
Foster also claimed that her ex-husband did not keep her in the loop about her children’s health. “They come home with bags of medicine. I don’t know why or what illness or who’s taking them to the doctor…He doesn’t confer with me regarding anything, nothing,” she testified.
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