Per CNN, Bernadette Bayot died at the age of 55 in June 2013. She had unexpectedly suffered a brain aneurysm weeks before Mars was set to start a world tour (via Hola Magazine). According to Rolling Stone, the death was a shock to Mars as his mother seemed to be in good health. Though he was in “shambles,” he knew he had to keep going. He did not cancel the tour, saying that his mother “wouldn’t want me to stop.” A few years after her death, Mars stated that he still wasn’t sure how to “handle it” (per Business Standard). This is something he would reiterate in a later interview with Latina in 2017
Refinery29 reports that Mars’ stated that his life would never be the same. Moreover, it made him realize what life is all about. As he put it, “nothing else matters in this world” except for family. He also admitted that the pain of losing her was unimaginable (via People). Even more revealing? Mars divulged that if he could “trade music to have her back, I would.” In the eight years since his mother’s death, Mars has continued releasing hits and topping charts. NME writes that his latest album, “An Evening with Silk Sonic,” a collaborative effort with rapper Anderson .Paak, has passed a billion streams as of December 2021.
