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*FAQs at the bottom of article* We have heard stories of actors and musicians facing similar issues and the story of Jamie Foxx's childhood abandonment had left everyone in tears. Life for the multitalented actor, musician, comedian, and Oscar-winner wasn’t always so smooth. OWN / YouTube Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop (1967) in Terrell, Texas, to Louise Annette Talley and Darrell Bishop, who worked as a stockbroker and had later changed his name to Shahid Abdula. His mother was an adopted child. At just 7 months old, he was is abandoned by both his parents, leaving him to be raised and officially adopted by his maternal grandparents, Mark and Esther Talley. Esther Talley had a profound impact on her adopted son, and in interviews, Foxx credits her as being his inspiration. Daily Mail "My grandmother was 60 years old when she adopted me," Foxx remarked to Josh Tyrangiel ofTime. "She ran a nursery school and had a library in the house. She saw me reading early, saw I was smart and believed I was born to achieve truly special things." Jesus Daily Foxx has said that he had a very rigid upbringing that placed him in the Boy Scouts and the church choir and started piano lessons at the age of three at his grandmother's insistence. Although strict, Estelle undeniably provided Jamie with a loving and nurturing home and was an incredible support to him. He was appreciative that his grandmother was there to give him the care and support he needed to become successful in life but, that never stopped him from wondering about his biological parents and why they left him. It was a constant struggle to comprehend that they never reached out to him. OWN / YouTube Jamie was only seventeen when Mark Talley died. But Estelle Talley didn't pass away until October 2004, at the age of ninety-five. Jamie was left heartbroken. Black Kudos - Tumblr In 2014, after extensive coping and soul-searching, he decided to stop piling up the questions inside him and look for some solid answers. Jamie began the process of trying to reconcile a relationship with his biological parents. He even moved his mother, Louise, into his own home in the effort to better connect with her. But reconnecting with his birth dad was not as easy. Foxx had a lot of questions about why his parents left him while keeping an open mind about it. Actor/comedian Jamie Foxx with his biological mother Louise at Crustacean's Ten Year Anniverary with a perfomance by Patti LaBelle. (BlackGivesBack.com) “That’s one thing I’ve learned: Always keep the door and your heart open. I don’t hold a lot of grudges… But it’s tough, you know? Because there are questions, like, ‘What happened? Where were you? Were you stricken with something? Could you not make it?’ OWN / YouTube Foxx finally found peace with his past. It did leave many questions unanswered though but for what it’s worth, he accepted himself. Sometimes, in life, the questions we ask end up leading to more questions and the whole thing becomes a huge spider web of questions. So, it’s difficult to leave some unanswered. Perhaps in future, in its own time, the questions will answer themselves. The way the world works is sometimes quite confusing but all we need is a little faith and everything becomes clear in due time. But it’s not easy selling this philosophy to people with abandonment issues and a history of abuse. Jesus Daily “Growing up, I would always go, ‘Man… I’m a good dude.’ I wasn’t the kid getting in trouble. I was the quarterback on the high school football team. And he only lived 28 miles away. So, I always said to myself, ‘You know, I’m gonna grade him a little harder for that because he could have tried.’” OWN / YouTube In the video below, the Hollywood star discusses his abandonment that took place more than four decades ago. (Sources: Jesus Daily, IMDb, and Little Things)h