The Tragic Death Of Bruno Mars' Mother

According to Global Music Rights, Bruno Mars has won 11 Grammys and has sold more than 180 million records worldwide. In other words, he is one of the most successful recording artists of all time. Born Peter Gene Hernandez, to Peter Hernandez and Bernadette San Pedro Bayot, the singer comes from humble roots (via Smooth Radio). According to Biography, both of Mars' parents were musically inclined; his father was a percussionist and his mother a singer. Y101 FM reports that Bayot immigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child. 

She met Hernandez, a New York native living in Hawaii, when they performed in a show together. The pair eventually got married and had six children, including Mars. Per Showbiz Cheatsheet, Mars began performing on stage before the age of 5. Hola Magazine writes that he and his mother would often perform together when he was a child. After graduating high school, Mars left Hawaii for Los Angeles. To the surprise of no one, he became a star. Even as his career continued to skyrocket, Bayot would lovingly call or text Mars to "celebrate" or even to "suggest he get more sleep" (via Refinery29).

Per CNN, Bernadette Bayot died at the age of 55 in June 2013. She had unexpectedly suffered a brain aneurysm weeks before Mars was set to start a world tour (via Hola Magazine). According to Rolling Stone, the death was a shock to Mars as his mother seemed to be in good health. Though he was in "shambles," he knew he had to keep going. He did not cancel the tour, saying that his mother "wouldn't want me to stop." A few years after her death, Mars stated that he still wasn't sure how to "handle it" (per Business Standard). This is something he would reiterate in a later interview with Latina in 2017

Refinery29 reports that Mars' stated that his life would never be the same. Moreover, it made him realize what life is all about. As he put it, "nothing else matters in this world" except for family. He also admitted that the pain of losing her was unimaginable (via People). Even more revealing? Mars divulged that if he could "trade music to have her back, I would." In the eight years since his mother's death, Mars has continued releasing hits and topping charts. NME writes that his latest album, "An Evening with Silk Sonic," a collaborative effort with rapper Anderson .Paak, has passed a billion streams as of December 2021.