Tina Knowles appeared in the ABC News special “Viral: A World Without Aids” on Thursday as she emotionally remembered her nephew, Johnny, recounting the moment she found out he had been diagnosed with AIDS. During the episode, the mother-of-two said she learned about the heartbreaking news at a hospital, shortly after Johnny had fallen sick. Tina deemed Johnny her “best friend” growing up, who even helped raise her daughters, Beyonce and Solange.
When she learned of his diagnosis, Tina was left in shock since she knew that contracting HIV and/or AIDS at the time that the virus had been detected in his body meant that the person in question was going to die. Johnny had a tremendous impact on not just Tina’s life but also the lives of Beyonce and Solange, who were so close to him that they regarded Johnny as their uncle. “Johnny was a light,” the 68-year-old said.
Mama Tina remembers Uncle Johnny on ABC’s “Viral: A World Without AIDS” and how his diagnosis devastated the whole family, sobbing as we speak😭pic.twitter.com/w1peHF6ldm
— BEY’Z🐝⬢⬡ · fan account (@beyzhive) December 2, 2022
“Johnny was the funniest person in the whole world.” Aside from being close family members, Tina revealed that she also bonded with Johnny over all things concerning fashion, make-up, and hair, adding, “He made me laugh more than anybody else that I’ve seen in my life.” Speaking of the time she found out about his AIDS diagnosis, she added, “I went to see him, he had no forewarning. I told him that he would never be alone and that everybody would be there with him because, at the time, when people were diagnosed, they died.”
The Knowles family has continued to remember their departed family member through not just music but also at high-profile events to continue raising awareness against HIV and AIDS, such as the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards, where Beyonce dedicated her Vanguard prize to her late “uncle.” She said, “I want to dedicate this award to my uncle Johnny, the most fabulous gay man I ever knew, who helped raise me and my sister.”
Beyoncé and her Uncle Johnny pic.twitter.com/iwtVKZh4fL
— CUFF IT season | fan account (@Beyoncerelated) December 2, 2022
When Beyonce sought inspiration to curate her latest album, “Renaissance,” she said in a statement that it was the music that Johnny exposed her to that helped formulate the sound and direction she wanted to take with her latest body of work.
“He was my Godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album. Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long. This is a celebration for you.”