Grandmother of Springfield’s John Legend remembered for love she shared

The grandmother to Springfield native and award winning musician and actor John Legend, died just a few days after her 91st birthday.

Legend shared the sad news of his grandmother’s death on Tuesday on social media.

“My beautiful grandmother, Marjorie Maxine Stephens, left this world early this morning, just a few days after her 91st birthday. We are so grateful for the life she lived, for the love she shared with her many children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and beyond,” he wrote on Instagram.

Legend, who was born John Stephens, called his grandmother caring and conscientious, saying she still sent birthday cards with cash and hosted annual Christmas celebrations until the family couldn’t all fit “in her little pink house on Heard Avenue in Springfield.”

“We are the family we are, the individuals we are because of the love she poured into us,” Legend wrote. “We are sad to lose her but most of all so appreciative of the full, blessed life she lived.”

About the Author