Who is Beyonce’s Uncle Johnny? Renaissance singer pays tribute to late uncle in Grammys acceptance speech

In her acceptance speech at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5, Beyonce paid tribute to her late uncle Johnny, who served as the inspiration for her seventh studio album, Renaissance.

The singer won Grammys for Best Dance/Electronic Recording, Best R&B Song, and Best Traditional R&B Performance, tying her for the most Grammys won by an artist. To the delight of her fans, Beyonce broke the record for the most Grammy Awards won by an artist later during the event, after winning another award for her most recent album, Renaissance, for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

While accepting the award, Beyonce delivered a heartfelt speech in which she first thanked God for protecting her. She then expressed her gratitude to her uncle Johnny, whom she said was not present. But the singer said her uncle was there in spirit. Queen Bey said:

"I’d like to thank my uncle Johnny, who’s not here. But he’s here in spirit."

The 41-year-old singer then went on to thank her parents for loving her, encouraging her, and pushing her. She also thanked Jay-Z and addressed the rapper as "my beautiful husband." The singer also mentioned her three children, who she said were watching the show at home.

Lastly, the singer thanked the LGBTQA+ community. She stated:

“I’d like to thank the queer community for your love and for inventing the genre. God bless you. Thank you so much to the Grammys. Thank you.”

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Beyonce previously honored her Uncle Johnny at another award ceremony in 2019

In 2019, at the 30th GLAAD Media Awards, Jay-Z and Beyonce received the Vanguard Award. The singer paid tribute to her uncle in her acceptance speech, referring to him as the “most fabulous gay man." She said:

"I want to dedicate this award to my Uncle Johnny, the most fabulous gay man I have ever known, who helped raise me and my sister. He lived his truth and he was brave and unapologetic during a time when this country wasn't as accepting.”

With tears in her eyes, the singer revealed that witnessing her uncle's HIV battle was one of the most painful experiences she had ever had. She hoped, however, that uncle Johnny's struggles would pave the way for other young people in the queer community to live more freely. The Crazy In Love singer added:

“LGBTQI rights are human rights.”

Before the release of her album, Renaissance, on July 29, 2022, Beyonce thanked her uncle Johnny on her official website. She wrote:

“A big thank you to my uncle Johnny.”

She said Johnny was her godmother and also the first person to expose her to a lot of music and the culture that served as an inspiration for the album. Beyonce added:

“Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long. This is a celebration for you.”

When Renaissance came out in July 2022, Tina Knowles-Lawson, Beyonce’s mother, took to Instagram to express how much Johnny meant to the singer, to whom the album is dedicated.

In the song Heated from the album, the singer mentioned her dear uncle.

“Uncle Johnny made my dress/That cheap Spandex, she looks a mess”

Tina said that Johnny was her nephew, who was two years older than her. Johnny passed away while Beyonce was 17 and her sister Solange was 12 years old, and the death was hard on them.

Though Johnny was Tina’s sister’s son, he was more like a brother to her, so Beyonce and Solange called him Uncle Johnny and looked up to him. He helped Tina raise the two siblings and influenced their sense of uniqueness and style as well.

Johnny also made and styled the dress that the 41-year-old singer wore to prom. Tina wrote in that Instagram post about Johnny’s love for house music and how he also introduced Beyonce and Solange to it.

Tina shared that she and Johnny grew up together and were inseparable. She also described him as her best friend, dance partner, housekeeper, designer, and confidante, and stated that she had complete trust in him, and that his death, she claimed, took away a piece of her.