Donald Glover Reveals His Father Has Died As He Pays Tribute At Final Childish Gambino Show

Donald Glover has revealed that his father has died. The 35-year-old announced Donald Glover Sr.’s passing onstage in Los Angeles, during the final performance of his “This Is America” tour.

“I lost my father a couple weeks ago,” he told the sold-out crowd.

In video posted to Reddit, Donald said that his father gave him his unconditional support just before he died.

“I wanted to play him some of the new songs, but he didn’t wanna hear ’em, ’cause he was like, ‘I know they’ll be great.’ And I’m not saying that to talk about music. I say that to talk about trust. That’s what love is. I hope you guys get to feel that kind of love and trust in your life. There’s nothing like it.”

Glover then performed his song “Riot” from his 2016 album Awaken, My Love! The song includes the lines, “Everyone! Everyone! Get down, baby. Get down, baby. Fly, fly, fly son.”

Donald Sr. was a postal worker, with his wife Beverly working as a daycare manager. The couple raised Donald and his siblings as Jehovah’s Witnesses in Stone Mountain, Georgia. His parents served as foster guardians to many children, two of whom they wound up adopting.

Earlier this year, the Atlanta star appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, per YouTube, and referred to his mother and father as “the best parents ever.”

Donald, who is shedding his Childish Gambino personality after the end of this tour, is currently working on a movie project with Rihanna. Back in August, NME revealed that the pair were working together, after they were spotted on a set in Havana, Cuba. Now, the film has been officially announced — with its trailer premiering at Glover’s PHAROS festival in New Zealand this past November.

The clip begins with Glover singing and playing his guitar while Rihanna, who portrays his girlfriend, walks into the room. “We live in paradise but none of us actually have the time or the means to live here,” Glover says during the visual.

Guava Island is credited in the trailer as “A Childish Gambino film.” Black Panther star Letitia Wright and Game of Thrones actor Nonso Anozie are also confirmed to star in the movie. The film was directed by Hiro Murai, Glover’s collaborator, who made Childish Gambino’s acclaimed “This Is America” video earlier this year.

The filmmaker also worked with Glover on several episodes of Atlanta. “This Is America” became a number one hit earlier in the year. The video addressed gun violence, mass shootings, and racism.