Nipsey Hussle’s celebration of life took place on Thursday, April 11, 2019.
Thousands gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to honor the legacy of the man born Ermias Joseph Asghedom who was taken too soon. Family, friends, and fans alike gathered in his honor. After his mother, Angelique Smith and his brother, Samuel Asghedom both spoke, Lauren London his longtime girlfriend, shared her final love letter.
London took the stage wearing a long white gown with black sunglasses covering her eyes. The crowd applauded her with encouragement. She started by reading a text message that she’d written while watching Nipsey Hussle sleep on the morning of Jan.21, 2019. Her words captivated the audience as people listened in silence.
She went on to unfold a letter that she’d written as she mourned his death.
London said, “I’ve never felt this type of pain before but I know God is alive. Bear with me, y’all.
“His soul was majestic; he was the strongest man that I ever knew. A gentle father, a patient leader, a divine light. He was brilliant. He researched everything, completely self-taught, constantly seeking knowledge. He would go to bed listening to these audiobooks in his headphones. I would tease him but that was really what I thought was the coolest s— ever about him.
“He would wake up in the morning and play music for the kids and light a sage and burn it around the house. He would just make sure our energy going outside would be uplifting and we could handle the day. My pain is for my 2-year-old who probably won’t remember how much his dad loved him. This is something I don’t really understand. But I know Ermias used to say you can’t possess people but you experience them. I’m so honored and blessed that I got to experience such a man. I know everyone is hurting but I’d like to say something to my city of Los Angeles. If you’re from LA, stand up. This pain is really ours; we know what Nip meant to us. We lost an incredible soul. We lost someone very rare to us and we lost a real one. We won’t ever be the same.
“In Hussle’s words, ’cause he always used to say this, ‘The game is going to test you, never fold. Stay 10 toes down, it’s not on you it’s in you and what’s in you they can’t take away.’
“He’s in all of us.
“To Ermias, the love of my life, you know what it is. Grief is the final act of love. My heart hears you. I feel you everywhere. I’m so grateful that I had you. I love you beyond this Earth.”
She closed by saying, “Until we meet again, the marathon continues,” and walked away with her fist clenched and raised in the air.
