Eric Wright Jr, aka Lil Eazy-E, honored his father Eazy-E on the 27th anniversary of his funeral. Lil Eazy-E shared footage from the funeral service to his Instagram account to commemorate the occasion in Compton. The clips included footage of a young Lil Eazy-E, who was 10 years old when he lost his father.
“EAZY-E DAY…27 YEARS TODAY….MY LIFE changed SAME Month as my birthday,” Wright Jr wrote. “I guess I was built to be strong strong in life as well as my siblings..But one thing I know is that God got us.. and I know my family will tell you that’s the truth.”
Lil Eazy-E expressed his sympathies for others who have also lost parents, finishing the post with three simple words: “Miss you daddy.”
Lil Eazy-E discusses his grief
In June 2020, Wright Jr explained in an interview why he didn’t shed a tear at his father’s funeral.
“I’ll let you know a little something of the funeral- I didn’t cry,” he confessed. “It was more shocking because you had these thousands of people around. It’s like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?'”.
Wright also described how he didn’t have time to process his father’s death.
“It didn’t hit me until you get actually home and get your own privacy like, ‘Wow, my father’s gone’. He further elaborated, saying “I remember at Herman Memorial, hundreds of people were coming up to me and talking to me. You don’t have time to cry.”
The Growing Up Hip Hop personality also discussed how he has handled grief over the years, especially since having children of his own.
“I have kids, so I find the best place to cry is the shower,” Lil Eazy-E said. “You get in the shower, let the water hit your face and let it all out. If you come out looking a little red eyes, ‘Hey, I got soap in my eye.’ You just got to get away sometimes.”
The impact of Eazy-E
The initial Eazy-E Day was declared in 2008 by then mayor of Compton Omar Bradley, with his announcement saying, “Eric made Compton famous not just in California, but all over the world. I recognize Eazy as a young man who grew up in the streets of Compton- and brothers and sisters, we know it’s not ‘easy’ growing up in Compton.”
Though only 30 at the time of his death, Eazy-E made an unforgettable impact on hip-hop and music as a whole. He was a founding member of the rap group NWA, skyrocketing to fame when the group’s debut album Straight Outta Compton dropped in 1988. Three months later, Eazy-E released his debut solo album Eazy-Duz-It. He was also responsible for signing the Hip-Hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1993.
Eazy-E passed away on March 26, 1995. He was buried two weeks later at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.
Written by Olan Bryant
