Andre 3000’s Mother Dies: Rapper Asks For Donations To Summer Camp For Underprivileged Children Instead Of Flowers For Sharon Benjamin-Hodo

At most funerals, grieving loved ones usually place flowers on the deceased person's casket, but rapper Andre "3000" Benjamin wants his late mother's tribute to be a little different.

When Sharon Benjamin-Hodo passed away on Tuesday, a day after his birthday, Andre "3000" requested continued donations to a camp for underprivileged children started by his mother in lieu of flowers, Benjamin's spokesperson told Billboard.

The Starlight Camp, an initiative run by Benjamin-Hodo's New Morning Light Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, is a summer camp designed for children who come from low-income households in Clayton County that offers academic, cultural and athletic programs aimed for holistic development.

Continued funding for the camp was Benjamin-Hodo's main concern as the founder of the program. She worked closely with her husband, Pastor Robert Hodo, to raise money and garner support from community groups to keep the program active.

Benjamin decided to replace flowers for donations in honor of his mother's efforts.

The 58-year-old community activist was found dead inside of her Atlanta home after dying in her sleep, authorities told the Associated Press.

"I'm an average mother," Benjamin-Hodo said in a 2007 interview with BET.

"Happy days, sad days, some days are stressful, some days are peaceful... I keep asking God to keep me focused because it's not the star that is really enhancing who I am, it is what he carries - his spirit, his mind - and that is what I'm so grateful for."

Several hip-hop artists, including Jermaine Dupre and Producer 9th Wonder, sent their condolences to Benjamin through social media.