Angela Bassett honors late mother, says she ‘propelled me to become the woman I am today’

Article By Melissa Hamilton // EEW Magazine // Motherhood

Angela Bassett may have lost her mother to congestive heart failure in 2014, but the matriarch’s memory lives on in the heart of her famous daughter.

The 61-year-old Black Panther star said Betty Jane Bassett, who also suffered with Type 2 diabetes and other ailments, made her into the woman she is today.

During a chat with the nationally-syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association ambassador, who is promoting the “Know Diabetes by Heart” campaign, said the death of her mother inspired her to get involved with this new initiative.

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“This really was my way of honoring the woman who really propelled me to become the woman I am today, to follow the dreams of becoming an actress, and to just really go for it, so it was my honoring of her,” said Bassett who stressed that understanding the link between Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease is “critical.”

The Golden Globe-winning actress who landed on EEW Magazine Online’s top Christian actresses list explained that, “People living with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease.”

She added, “That was my mother’s situation. At the time, we didn’t know that information at all.”

Bassett said many people are still not aware of the link—something she’s hoping to change.

“If you don’t know, of course you don’t take the steps to manage those risks as much as you would if you had an awareness,” she said.

When Bassett reflected on her mother, she told Huffington Post in a previous interview that they were very similar. She called her mom, “strong-willed and independent.”

“She had high standards. She was very adamant on doing things the right way, the proper way. Sometimes it felt a little critical, but now that I’ve become a mother myself, I think that it was really just wanting the best for your kids, knowing that it can be a cold, cruel world out here, and that you have to be prepared for opportunities,” she reflected.

(Left to right) Son Slater, Mom Angela Bassett, daughter Bronwyn, Dad Courtney Vance (Credit: Getty)

Though Bassett’s mother was unable to benefit from such helpful health information, the ambassador is using her voice to give someone else a fighting chance.

Listen to the full interview below to get Bassett’s health tips.

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