Bernadette Bayot may have been better known the world over as the mother of Bruno Mars, but family and friends in Hawaii remember her as a beloved and respected member of the local entertainment community.
Bayot, 55, died Saturday of a brain aneurysm at the Queen’s Medical Center. The Associated Press reported the news from information provided by a publicist from Mars’ record label, Atlantic Records, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Since the announcement, condolences to Mars and the family have poured in via social media from fans and from celebrities such as Rihanna and Randy Jackson. Bayot’s daughters Jaime and Presley took to Twitter to express their love for their mother — Presley attached a photo of her mother in her heyday performing hula at a show with the message, "The most beautiful girl in the world. Until forever. I love you ma."
Mars has a heart tattoo with "Bernadette" on his upper right arm.
Bayot’s brother John (who performs under the name John Valentine) said Bernadette Bayot was born in Manila and moved with her family to Hawaii in 1968.
After graduating from Farrington High School, Bayot became the lead dancer for Al Harrington’s show. She and entertainer Peter Hernandez Sr. married and involved their children in show business. (They later divorced.)
Bayot was part of Hernandez’s Love Notes doo-wop revue at the then-Esprit Lounge (now RumFire) at the Sheraton Waikiki that featured her all-girl vocal group, the Hi Notes. Meanwhile, 4-year-old son Peter Jr., known by his nickname Bruno, was making a name as the youngest Elvis impersonator in the world.
Performers Tommy D. and Jade Glover worked with Bayot and her son on the Aloha Las Vegas revue at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel in 2001.
"It should be noted that Bernie was a very talented lady herself and a good mother to Bruno," said Tommy D. "With Bruno she was a mother to him first, always reminding him to do his chores and help clean up the dressing room." (Bruno, then 16, was doing a Michael Jackson act.) "Bernie was the triple threat, an all-around entertainer, producer and choreographer."
"There are a lot of us girl singers out there who owe Bernadette many thanks for the opportunities she gave us," said friend Alison Maldonado, who met Bayot in 1993 when she joined the Hi Notes as a replacement singer. "We were all so young and inexperienced, but she saw potential in all of us. … I loved working with her and learned a lot from watching her perform.
"She was the matriarch of the family, that rock that the kids definitely listened to. She knew a lot about the business, and they respected what their mama had to say."
Before his mother’s death, Mars had been preparing for the start of his lengthy Moonshine Jungle tour, in support of his latest hit album, "Unorthodox Jukebox," beginning with a sold-out show June 22 in Washington, D.C.
Bayot is survived by husband Kip Botelho; sons Peter Hernandez Jr. (Bruno Mars) and Eric Hernandez; daughters Jamie Bayot, and Tiara, Tahiti and Presley Hernandez; mother Soledad Bayot; brothers Jesse, Douglas, Christopher, John, Frank and Lawrence Bayot; and former husband Peter Hernandez Sr. Services have not yet been scheduled.
