The rapper spoke with Gayle King for his first TV interview since Tytyana died in May.
Master P is turning his family's heartbreaking loss into a mission. On Friday, the 52-year-old rapper sat down with Gayle King for CBS Morning to open up about his daughter, Tytyana Miller's, death by drug overdose and share how he is working to spread awareness on mental illness and substance abuse.
Tytyana had been battling addiction for nearly a decade and shared her struggles while starring on Growing Up Hip Hop with her father and brother, Romeo Miller. In May, she lost her battle to an accidental overdose.
"It's hard. Coming from poverty, you would think that you would outlive your kids and that was the mission," Master P, born Percy Robert Miller Sr., told King. "I feel like, going to my daughter's funeral, I went to my own funeral."
The former actress was one of Master P's nine children, eight of whom he shared with Sonya C, including Romeo, Itali, Inty, Vercy, Hercy, and Mercy. The music mogul is also a dad to 25-year-old daughter Cymphonique from a previous relationship.
The rapper revealed that he received the news of Tytyana's death from one of his other daughters, describing it as the "worst call a parent could get."
"My sympathies go out to everybody who lost a child," the father of nine said. "I said, 'I'm gonna turn my pain into passion and I'm gonna turn it into a purpose because I can’t get my daughter back.' I love her and think about her every day, and it took me and my family to go through something that I just can’t stop thinking about but I realize that I have to get out here and help and save other kids."
He shared how Tytyana resolved to better herself, having just gotten out of rehab and attempting to remain on "the right track." He revealed that his daughter had even been writing a book.
"I feel like I could have done more. But you never know," he admitted, adding that the family had been hopeful for Tytyana's journey after nine years of battling her addiction. "My daughter had a lot of life left in her. She was a happy woman that knew that tomorrow she could do something better."
The experience has taught Master P and his family a lot of lessons, with the most prominent being to love wholeheartedly at the moment. "My thing is anybody that's watching this, love your loved ones while they are here because once you walk out that door you never know who is coming back," he advised.
"We look at mental illness and substance abuse -- it's serious and affects everyone," the rapper continued. "Just a little dose of fentanyl can take your life, destroy a family. A mother on the news today talked about her son being a good kid and he went left one time and bought a pill and he killed himself."
He added that the crux of the situation is that he understands how parents want better for their children than they experienced. He touched on how he sees his children, especially his son Romeo, as heroes who can change the next generation.
"When I got that phone call I realized my daughter is never coming back, and that is the heartbreaking thing about this," he said. "I said, 'Let me team up with these organizations and doctors.' I want to help people that look like us. We want to bring awareness to [mental illness and substance abuse]. My whole purpose is to get out here and help and save millions."
Master P had one golden nugget of advice for struggling families: "Talk about it. Don't hold this a secret. When you talk about mental illness and substance abuse, people don't want to say, 'This happened to my kids.' But this is happening to all of us."
Watch Master P's full interview below.
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