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‘My heart and soul’: Fat Joe gives shoutout to autistic son on his birthday in rare post

All the way up!

Miami rapper Fat Joe posted a tribute to his namesake son on his 32nd birthday Wednesday.

The Bronx native, 51, opened up to his 4.6 million followers of how unexpected fatherhood was as a teen and that Joey was born with special needs. The identity of the man’s mother is unclear.

“Life is full of surprises, began the post. “I was just a kid at 19 years old when I had Joey. It was one of the scariest days of my life. Doctors said he wouldn’t be normal and kids like this are hard to deal with. Not once did me and my family think of giving up on Joey. He’s my Jr.”

Fat Joe (real name Joseph Cartegena) goes on to say being a parent and keeping their kids happy and safe is “a constant sacrifice.”

Fat Joe added that he’s been famously private about shielding his son from the spotlight due to “bad elements out there.”

The chart topper, now a father of three, finishes the post with an incredibly sweet shoutout:

“How do you tell someone who’s given you so much joy in life thank you? How do you tell your best friend and most loyal one thank you? I am so proud of Joey, he’s my heart & soul. I love you, Joey, we all love you Joey, thank you for being my biggest blessing in life!”

Madeleine Marr
Miami Herald
Celebrity/real time news reporter Madeleine Marr has been with The Miami Herald since 2003. She has covered such features as travel, fashion and food. In 2007, she helped launch the newspaper’s daily People Page, attending red carpet events, awards ceremonies and press junkets; interviewing some of the biggest names in show business; and hosting her own online show. She is originally from New York City.
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