Who are Fat Joe's parents? All we know as rapper mourns mom’s death three months after dad’s passing

Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known as Fat Joe, announced his mother’s death on Saturday, May 3, via Instagram. The Make It Rain rapper penned a heartfelt tribute in a post, and while sharing many pictures of his mom,

“This a real one, rest in peace to the woman who brought me in this world. She didnt have much but she gave us everything. Anyone who knows my Mom knows she had a heart of gold, she refused to move out the projects for many years even though i had money.”

Talking about how she loved her community and her people, Fat Joe mentioned his father. The Lean Back rapper, who lost his dad less than three months ago, proclaimed that her mother died of a broken heart. He added,

“I have to give thank’s to the father my God for letting me have her in my life this long, truth is she died of a broken heart 60 years with a man and he recently just died, my Dad wanted her with him.”

Fat Joe’s parents, Marie Cartagena and Ernesto Delgado, were immigrants who raised the rapper in the Bronx. Ernesto, who died in February, was of Cuban descent and was often described by Joseph as a hardworking man. His mother, Marie, was a Puerto Rican who was a part of the community where the rapper grew up for over four decades.

Fat Joe previously credited his parents for setting an example of a stable marriage

Cartagena has been married to his wife, Lorena, for three decades. Their marriage has seemingly remained stable all these years, and the rapper previously credited his parents for this. In a 2021 interview with Hola!, Fat Joe talked about his parents’ long-standing marriage and said,

“Thanks to them, my mother and father have been together for 50 something years and I’ve been with my wife for 26 years. So they set the example in many ways.”

During the interview, Joseph also talked about his father not being affectionate or an expressive dad but stated how he shows his love to his children. Answering another question, he fondly talked about his father always asking him about saving his money, while he leaned towards investing more.

In an episode of The Limits with Jay Williams, Joe recounted the only time when the police arrested his father. The rapper told the host,

“My father's Cuban, never spoke English. He went to jail. The only time my father went to jail was we got stopped by some officers who were white, and they pulled him over, and they were saying license and registration. And my father kept telling them no speak English.”

He added that his father, a “hardworking man,” went to jail for not knowing English, despite having his license and registration. As mentioned, Joseph’s father passed away earlier this year. He announced the news on Instagram and wrote,

“Sad to announce the passing of my Father “ERNESTO AKA CUBA” papi te quero para siempre. This has been tough, I’m not looking for sympathy, just Honoring my Dad. He’s a Legend in my eyes. To my Mom, Wife, Brothers and Sisters i love you and we’ll always be united.”

During the interview with Jay Williams, he also reflected upon growing up in Forest Houses, South Bronx, in a Black American-majority neighborhood. While Cartagena was yet to make it big in the industry, he became a single father.

During his chat, Fat Joe also revealed how his parents helped him raise his son, Joey, as a single dad.

“Me and my mother and father - we raised Joey. He's happy. He's a beautiful kid. And so I never give up on family. I'm always there.”

Fat Joe, who raised his son with his parents, later married Lorena, who has been the mother to the rapper’s three children, including their biological daughter, Azariah.

Trending

For more stories, keep reading Soap Central!

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback