Mamabearsteffs on mourning her late son eight years after his passing

Losing a loved one leaves many in a lifetime of mourning. Even after years of the death of someone close, those wounds of loss seem to reopen when pondering the life of the deceased.

DJ Joy ‘Mamabearsteffs’ Steffens, 64, is dealing with these emotions this week, as 26 June marks eight years since the passing of her son, Dylan.

“Eight years has gone by and there is not a day that goes by where I do not have to explain myself to someone who gives me a hug and says I love your story and thinking about you,” Mamabearsteffs told The Citizen.

Mamabearsteffs took up the art of deejaying after the passing of her son, Dylan, who was an aspiring DJ and producer, to uniquely honour his desire and ambition for music.

Dylan was diagnosed with a very rare liver cancer and passed away at the age of 22 in 2016 before achieving his dreams in the music industry.

“I would go to Sandton City and perhaps someone will say to me ‘I saw your story on Carte Blanche about your son, can I give you a hug’.”

“If I am at a festival it, it’s so overwhelming as so many people recognise me and give me affection for carrying on Dylan’s journey as he so wanted to be a deejay and producer,” shared the popular DJ.

ALSO READ: Mamabearsteffs: 64 year-old DJ keeping her late son’s memory alive with every set

Remembering Dylan

On Sunday, Mamabearsteffs opened up to her followers on Instagram about her anxiety of entering into the week in which her son passed away.

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A post shared by Joy Alison Steffens (@mamabearsteffs)

Dylan had taken up the moniker DJ Steffs which Mamabearsteffs is derived from. “This is why I call myself Mamabearsteffs – I am the Mamabear and he was Steffs.”

“I think I would love to do a mix in his honour but I need time to think about this. I have one on mixcloud that maybe will be suitable but ideally one day my dream is to stand in the hills somewhere and do an Afro House set and just let my soul be touched by this and that is how I feel. I can feel his connection,” averred Mamabearsteffs.

She said on the actual day of Dylan’s passing, she will pay homage to him on social media.

“I will probably post a picture of him in remembrance and perhaps do a TikTok post that I will say something about my healing and how my deejaying and following his dream has assisted me with the healing as a mom who has lost her son.”

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