Dearest MaRiky: A Mother's Journey through Grief, Trauma and Healing, by Louisa Zondo

I went on an expedition to Mount Everest Base Camp twenty-five days after my son’s death. The mountains wrapped me up in the softest blanket, clearing the path for me to decide to build on Rikhado’s legacy of loving and caring for others, especially young people.

As the mother of much-loved music star Riky Rick, who died by suicide in 2022, Louisa Zondo’s loss was shared by millions. However. Louisa’s was a uniquely vast, lonely and life-shattering grief, as the loss of her beloved MaRiky brought to the surface devastating trauma from her past.

In this book, Louisa Zondo takes the first small steps into facing her grief. She finds herself speaking to her son in a series of letters, and gradually unearths the words to express her love for him, and the pain of losing him. In voicing that love, she tells the story of her life and the experiences that shaped her.