NOW IT CAN BE TOLD! The tragedy that sent QUEEN LATIFAH spiraling out of control!
With her new talk show flourishing, Queen Latifah is finally forgiving herself for the tragic death of her brother more than two decades ago.
In 1992, just as her career as a rapper was taking off, Latifah bought her beloved older brother, Lancelot, a motorcycle. But two months later, Lance, then 24, was killed in a horrific crash while riding it. And Latifah, now 43, struggled mightily for years over the grief and guilt.
Just two years apart, Latifah and Lance were so close that people often mistook them for twins.
“They thought alike, they had the same interests, and they were both Pisces,” said Latifah’s now-ailing mom
Rita. “The three of us did everything as a family.”
Lance had been a police officer in Newark, N.J., for about a year when his bighearted sister decided to make one of his wishes come true.
“Lance had always wanted a motorcycle, so Latifah bought him one for his birthday,” said a source. “Lance was thrilled.”
But after he died, Latifah blamed herself, and her life spiraled out of control. “She felt that if she hadn’t given him the bike, he’d still be here,” said the source. “She couldn’t eat and she couldn’t sleep for months. She eventually turned to drugs and alcohol for comfort.”
In 1996, Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and a loaded handgun.
In 2002, she was busted for DUI and was given three years’ probation after she pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless driving.
A few years ago, Latifah started going to therapy and learned that it was important to “love and forgive herself, the way she loved and forgave others,” said the source.
“And she was finally able to let go of her guilt.”
Now, she’s riding high with “The Queen Latifah Show,” which premiered on Sept. 16 and has already topped talk-show competitors Ellen DeGeneres and Bethenny Frankel in the ratings.
As the ENQUIRER recently reported, she has new heartache over her beloved 64-year-old mom’s battle against deadly lung cancer. Despite that, the source said: “Latifah is finally feeling at peace about Lance.”
