After late rapper Goonew’s body was propped upright and placed on stage at a nightclub during a celebration of his life, his family is defending the event, and calling those who disagree with how they chose to honor him “rude.”
Goonew, who was shot and killed in March at 24 years old, was celebrated through a “final show” at Bliss Nightclub in Washington, D.C. The event featured his standing corpse dressed in designer clothing and a crown, as attendees took photos and listened to music. After the event, Bliss issued a statement, sharing “condolences to Goonew’s family, friends, and fans.”
“Bliss was contacted by a local funeral home to rent out our venue for Goonew’s home-going celebration,” the nightclub shared. “Bliss was never made aware of what would transpire. We sincerely apologize to all those who may be upset or offended. Please keep Goonew’s family and friends in your prayers at this difficult time. Respectfully, Bliss DC.”
But now, the family of the rapper, whose real name is Markelle Antonio Morrow, is sharing that what went down at Bliss was how they intended to honor him.
“For all the negatives, people probably don’t even know nothing about us,” his mother, Patrice Morrow, said “They have no idea. People just saying what they want to say and that’s fine. That’s perfectly fine. I’m pleased with how I sent my son away. I wish people would just let me grieve in peace.”
Goonew’s sister, Ariana Morrow, added that the family isn’t trying to “clear anything up,” and that those who take issue with how they choose to celebrate their loved one are “rude” and being “insensitive.”
“We don’t care about anybody and what ya’ll have to say negative. Nobody. We don’t care,” Morrow said. “They’re like, I know his mama wouldn’t approve of that. Yeah, she did, she was on stage with us.”
Back in 2020, Goonew was listed as a Pigeons & Planes Best New Artist, and explained his then-latest single “Bricks” and what went into his creative process.
“Me and Sparkheem, my producer, made ‘Bricks’ in 25 minutes,” Goonew said at the time. “It’s way easier when your producer knows you and the music that you like to sample. Gucci is one of my favorite rappers and I’ve always put together freestyles in my head to beats that he’s done, so making this was easy. It’s one of my favorite songs that I have put out.”
