Beyoncé dedicated 'Renaissance' to uncle who died of AIDS when she was 17

Beyoncé’s "Renaissance" album was partially dedicated to her late uncle Johnny, and its accompanying concert film devotes an entire segment to his memory.

Uncle Johnny — who, in a 2019 speech at the GLAAD Media Awards, she called “the most fabulous gay man I’ve ever known" — rises as a formative figure in Beyoncé's past.

She credits him with introducing her to house music, which became a major influence on "Renaissance," and collaborating with her mom Tina Knowles to form her sense of style. She nods to that in the song "Heated" with the lyric, "Uncle Johnny made my dress."

But she doesn't provide many actual biographical details about him in the documentary — including how they're related. Spoiler: He's not actually her uncle, whose full name has not been shared. Below, we'll solve the mystery.

Who is Beyoncé's Uncle Johnny, and how were they related?

Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, explained the family's connection to Uncle Johnny in a July 2022 post. She clarified that while Beyoncé calls him "uncle," he was actually her nephew.

“Johnny was my (sister's) son but more like a brother to me so my kids called him Uncle Johnny,” Knowles wrote.

Beyoncé appeared on the cover of the magazine “Instinct,” a gay men’s lifestyle publication, in 2006 and, in her interview, spoke about her uncle.

“He was my mother’s best friend. He brought me to school every day. He helped me buy my prom dress. He made my clothes with my mother. He was like my nanny. He was my favorite person in the whole world,” she said, per TODAY's reporting at the time.

He died of AIDS when Beyoncé was a teenager

Knowles, in her post, wrote that Johnny died when Beyoncé was 17 and her younger sister Solange was 12. "They took it (so) hard," Knowles wrote.

“When he died, a piece of me went with him. Solange and Beyoncé worshiped him. He helped me raise them. And influenced their sense of style and uniqueness!” she wrote.

Beyoncé spoke about the effect his death had on her while accepting GLAAD Media’s Vanguard Award in 2019.

“Witnessing his battle with HIV was one of the most painful experiences I’ve ever lived. I’m hopeful that his struggles served to open pathways for other young people to live more freely," she said.

Did Beyoncé dedicate her album to her uncle?

The singer published an open letter when "Renaissance" came out and issued a dedication to family members, including her uncle.

“He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album," she wrote.

“Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long,” she continued. “This is a celebration for you.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com