Zuko Komisa
Lynn Forbes, well-known podcaster and mother of the late South African music icon AKA, recently marked her 57th birthday with a powerful message of introspection and gratitude.
After an outpouring of well wishes from industry colleagues, family, friends, and fans, Forbes shared a heartfelt reflection on navigating life’s profound losses and quiet triumphs.
Two years after the tragic loss of her son, AKA, to gun violence, Forbes has been remarkably open about her grief journey.
Forbes explained that turning 57 wasn’t a “celebration in the usual sense,” but rather “a quiet pause” to reflect on life’s gains and profound losses. She spoke of honouring the “quiet ways” she has continued, learning to trust in “softness,” and understanding that “not everything needs to be healed, not every space needs to be filled.”
“Thank you for all the birthday wishes. I’m feeling joyful, blessed, and deeply grateful. Turning 57 isn’t a celebration in the usual sense. It’s a quiet pause … a moment to sit with all that life has given, and all it has taken. Some experiences change you so deeply, your entire rhythm shifts.
This year, I’m honouring the quiet ways I’ve kept going … the small, steady ways I’ve come back to myself. The softness I’ve learned to trust. I’ve come to understand: not everything needs to be healed, not every space needs to be filled. I now know that love defies rules … it’s peaceful, and it feels like home. I’m mindful of what I let in, and gentle with what I carry.” wrote Forbes
She concluded by expressing deep gratitude for “the holding on, the letting go, and the becoming,” offering a resonant perspective on resilience and healing.
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