Her mum was a bill collector, an underground rapper called ‘Holly-Wood’, and later her manager, while her father was in jail until she was eight – but became her best friend

In her Prime Video documentary, Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words, the rapper opens up about the deeply personal moments that shaped her life, including the heartbreaking death of her mother, Holly Thomas, in 2019 after her battle with a brain tumour.

In her Prime Video documentary, Megan Thee Stallion talks about deeply personal moments in her life. 

Reflecting on the moment when she decided to pull her mum off life support, Megan, 29, reveals, “They had to put her under. She was just brain-dead … I just was praying that she could shake back from it.” But reality hit, and Megan recalls, “Once I realised she wasn’t coming back, I was just like, ‘Damn, I can’t keep her like this.’” Her mum “passed the next day”.

Megan Thee Stallion has paid tribute to her mum’s influence. Photo: @theestallion/Instagram

Megan honoured her mother’s lasting influence at the 2021 Glamour Woman of the Year Awards, saying, “I really want to thank my mum … She taught me how to be the woman that I am. She was my best friend, my manager, she was my everything, and I know she’s proud of me today.” Megan’s loss of her mother compounded a previous tragedy – losing her father, Joseph Pete Jr, in ninth grade.

But who were Megan Thee Stallion’s parents? Here’s everything we know about Holly Thomas and Joseph Pete Jr.

Megan Thee Stallion’s dad, Joseph Pete Jr, was in jail until she was eight

Megan Thee Stallion lost her dad, Joseph Pete Jr, when she was just 15. Photo: @blackuncutgems/Instagram

In a 2020 Rolling Stone interview, Megan called her dad a “full-time hustler” and said he worked hard, even if he wasn’t always around. That same year, she told Marie Claire, “My dad was definitely my best friend, but for the first eight years of my life, he was in jail.” Once he was released, everything changed, and they “were together every day”, showing just how close they became. Pete died when Megan was just 15.

Megan Thee Stallion’s mum, Holly Thomas, was an underground rapper

Megan Thee Stallion’s dad Joseph Pete Jr was in jail for eight years, while mum Holly Thomas was a bill collector and rapper. Photo: @blackuncutgems/Instagram

Megan’s mother, Holly Thomas, balanced life as a bill collector by day and underground rapper “Holly-Wood” by night, per People. Megan absorbed her mom’s musical influence, often sneaking Thomas’ CDs to practice rapping. “She would be like, ‘Megan, have you seen my CDs?’ And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? No,’” Megan admitted to Vulture in 2019.

Megan Thee Stallion’s mum stepped in as her manager

Holly Thomas, Megan Thee Stallion’s mum, initially dismissed the idea of her daughter becoming a rapper. Photo: @blackuncutgems

According to Rolling Stone, when Megan first announced her plans to pursue rap, her mum dismissed the idea. Eventually, after noticing her daughter’s talent, Thomas came around, leaving her day job to manage Megan full-time and supporting her as she signed her first record deal, per People.

Megan Thee Stallion lost her mum and grandmother in the same month

Megan Thee Stallion’s mum, Holly Thomas, lost her battle with cancer in 2019. Photo: @blackuncutgems/Instagram

March 2019 was a heartbreaking time for Megan, who lost both her mother and grandmother within weeks. Thomas passed away from brain cancer at 47, per The Sun. Later that year, Megan told fans on Instagram, “This year, I lost my mum and my grandmother in the same month,” admitting the weight of these losses was overwhelming.

In 2022, Megan Thee Stallion launched a foundation to honour her parents

Megan Thee Stallion’s non-profit organisation was formed as a tribute to her parents. Photo: @theestallion/Instagram

The rapper marked her 27th birthday in February 2022 by launching the Pete and Thomas Foundation, a non-profit focused on education and housing, per Billboard. “Launching the Pete and Thomas Foundation is easily one of the most significant endeavours that I’ll ever be part of in my career,” she shared in a press release, crediting her family for inspiring her.