Inside the life of a global superstar: Love, loss, and the fight to keep performing

Knew something was very wrong

Her alcohol use became noticeable. “I would see mom drinking very often and we would say, ‘Mom don’t start, you know how you get,’ and she would be crying, screaming for hours and hours and hours,” his cousin recalled.

“We knew that there was something very wrong, that she was most likely bipolar — we didn’t know the word at the time. There wasn’t peace because we knew we had to walk on eggshells, that anything could throw her off.”

While he admitted that living with Rosalind could be “difficult,” he also recognized her deep love, noting the “dichotomy” in their relationship.

The siblings grew especially close during this time. “We felt each other’s pain and worry and we would get strength from each other. We were very close, we were very close, yes. We had to be,” his cousin said.

Despite the challenges, they ultimately viewed Rosalind as a mother who did the best she could. “No matter how poor we were at the time or how hard she had to work — Mom, she knew that piano lessons were important. That this had to be nurtured. She knew that he was going to be something someday,” the cousin explained.