Off The Record
Mark and Donnie Wahlberg pay tribute to their mom with heartfelt messages following her death at 78
The Wahlberg family was left without the matriarch in April 2021; she was 78 years old suffering from dementia.
The Wahlberg family was huge. Alma Wahlberg had 9 children: Michelle, Paul, Arthur, Jim, Tracey, Robert, Donnie, Mark and Debbie, who died in 2003 at age 43. Donald Wahlberg, Mark’s father died in 2008.
The youngest and most famous in the family are Mark and Donnie, but their mother was also famous once she appeared on the Wahlberg family’s reality show called Wahlburgers, a behind-the-scenes look at running a family restaurant.
“My angel. Rest in peace,” Mark Wahlberg wrote in an Instagram post, alongside a photo of his late mother wearing a pink blazer.
Alma’s death also put an end to their daily chats with Mark Wahlberg.
“Mark calls me from all over the world. Every single day,” Alma Wahlberg said in 2018. “I don’t care if it’s 3 o’clock in the morning!”
The tragic loss was also a loss of a heartwarming daily routine. The small-talk with his mother really meant to him a lot.
“It was always the first phone call that I made every single day for the last 10 years, was to my mom,” he said, “And I don’t get to make that phone call anymore. And it’s heartbreaking. And that’s hard.”
Donnie Wahlberg paid a tribute to his mother on social media by writing a lengthy post on Instagram. “blessed to have been brought into this world by, raised by, taught by and set on my life’s path by, such an amazing woman.”
“My mom Alma’s joy for life, love and people – combined with a pride in her humble beginnings and refusal to forget where she came from – undoubtedly shaped me into the man that I am. I’ve often said, if you like anything about me, I got it from Alma.”
The “Blue Bloods” actor and former member of boy band “New Kids on the Block” said his mom was “the most loving human being” and “the epitome of the word grace.”
“It’s time to rest peacefully, mom,” Donnie continued. “I love you, miss you, thank you and will celebrate you, today and always. Forever – your Baby Donnie”
Alongside the beautiful message he posted a compilation of clips throughout the years as a gesture of being the greatest mother they could ask for.
When asked which one is her favorite kid she said: “Whoever I’m with at the time.”
“They’re all so unique in their own way. I’m really proud of them. Not just the success, but how they’ve turned out. They’re really good people. I wouldn’t care if they were ditch diggers, as long as they’re good people,” she said, as per USA Today.
She was always an angel.
— Donnie Wahlberg (@DonnieWahlberg) April 18, 2021
Now she has her wings.
Rest peacefully Alma.
As Always, your Baby Donnie#RIPAlma 🙏🏼❤️🕊😢 https://t.co/qrR7foxSM8 pic.twitter.com/IICsPPwHlp
