Hi there friends and fans.  It comes with a heavy heart to tell you all of the passing of our dear Tiki’s mother and spiritual light. After many years of fighting cancer, Thelma Marie Lewis has gone home. Though I never had the pleasure of meeting this amazing woman in person, I spent many days and nights popping in on Tiki’s FaceTime conversations with her and it was easy to see how Tiki became the beautiful soul she is today.    About an hour after she learned of her mother’s passing ‪last Monday afternoon‬, I spoke with Tiki and just listened.  She told me how strong her mother was, raising 3 kids on her own, in the projects of Chicago in the 1970s and ‘80s.  She sacrificed every ounce of her entire being for her children, working multiple jobs to send them to catholic school. She made their home a place of tranquility and a refuge from the chaos of the city.  She said “Ma always kept the house pristine and had plants in the house so we were always in touch with the outside.  It gave us a calming sense in a place that was never calm.  She sang to us to get us to eat, sleep, bathe, whatever it took to get us to do what we had to do.  And she loved it.  She didn’t do it out of necessity, she did it because she loved it.” She cooked every meal for them, helped them with every homework assignment, took them to every school function, and disciplined them, all. on. her. own.  It can’t be overlooked how Herculean a task this all must have been for a woman, an African American woman, to overcome in the projects of 1970s and ‘80s Chicago.  Thelma gave everything and more, and anyone who has ever crossed paths with Tiki can plainly see she is the embodiment of her mother’s immense strength.   Today, Tiki has learned that there are no funds left from her mother’s life insurance policy to cover her mother’s funeral expenses.  The average cost of a funeral today is around $7500 on the low end.  Tiki will also need to travel from LA to a Chicago last minute, and she will miss several upcoming events singing and pouring her soul out with Pop Vinyl and Piel.  Needless to say, Tiki needs our help.   So I’m asking you all to think of all the times our sweet Tiki has lifted you up and given ALL OF US her gift through her performance, her voice, her hugs, her unending spiritual love, or just her conversation.  If Tiki has touched your life in any of these ways, now is the time to show your love for this amazing, one of a kind woman, and help her give her mother the love she deserves for giving so much of herself to the world.  Please please please join me and Pop Vinyl in lifting Tiki up in this most difficult time of her life. She’s given so much to us, Thelma gave everything to her, let’s show both of them how much we love them and appreciate all the gifts of love they’ve given us.