Alicia Keys Struggles to Rebuild Relationship With Estranged Father

Singer Alicia Keys has begun the process of rebuilding her relationship with the father who abandoned her as a child.

Keys describes how her grandmother’s illness became the catalyst for reaching out to her father.

“The process started when my [paternal] grandmother became ill,” she said. “You realize what’s important when you see a person you love dearly and you’re not going to have them for long. It was important to her. And I saw [my father's] love for her. I realized he wasn’t an evil person so I said, ‘Can we start from this point on? Can we be friends? I can start to understand you and you can start to understand me.’”

Keys was only a toddler when her father left her mother, forcing her mother to play the role of two parents.

Now, however, Keys says she is ready to forgive her father for leaving so that she can begin anew.

“I would say in the process of growing up, you realize you’ve been holding on to anger,” she said. “I was angry then and am sure I had the right to be angry, but if you hold on to all this anger the only person you’re hurting is you.”

Keys hopes now that both her and her father are older and have more perspective, they’ll be able to put the past behind them rebuild their relationship.