Oct 24, 2008 10:07 pm US/Central
Grieving Friends Praise Hudson Family Bond
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Jennifer Hudson (file)
CBS
All of Chicago feels they know Jennifer Hudson -- a true, home-grown Hollywood star and yet very much a regular South Side girl. But the pain is most profound among those who had a personal relationship with the Hudson family, CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports.
At Progressive Baptist Church, the place Jennifer Hudson once called her church home, the sense of shock ran deep Friday.
"To have this come about is such a tragedy," Pastor Willie Davis said. "It's part of life we don't like to acknowledge, but we have to deal with it.
Just days before she won an Academy Award for "Dreamgirls," Hudson came back to Progressive to give a concert to repay Chicago for its support. Her mother, Darnell Donerson, was there.
"It's very exciting, and I love my daughter very much," Donerson told the crowd.
Her mother was at her side at the Cannes Film Festival as well for the "Dreamgirls" premiere. They shared a close and loving relationship. Hudson's family was one reason she returned to Chicago often, accepting an award just last weekend at the Chicago International Film Festival.
But even as Hudson zoomed to international stardom, she retained her down-to-earth attitude. And likewise, her mother chose to remain in Englewood, close to her family and the city she knows.
"She wanted to stay where she was because it kept her attached to her surroundings, her family, and that was her desire," Davis said.
Hudson credited her mother, brother and sister with keeping her grounded.
Now, two of them are gone.
She's reportedly returning to Chicago tonight, but this homecoming will be tragically different.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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