Jamie's tribute to beloved grandma

Oscar winner Jamie Foxx has come a long way from the small town of Terrell, Texas, where he was known by his real name of Eric Bishop and raised by his grandmother.

Foxx, now 37, was adopted by his beloved grandma Estelle Talley after his parents split when he was just seven months old. That meant his real mother was legally his sister and his granny was his mother.

If that wasn’t confusing enough, Foxx told US interviewer Barbara Walters in her post-Oscars interview show that he has never understood why he was palmed off as a baby by his mother and father.

“I have spoken to my father a few times, but I still don’t understand why they left me. I am 37 and it still hurts me now.”

The comedian, who stunned audiences with his portrayal of music legend Ray Charles, was made to practice the piano so hard by Talley that he became a musical prodigy.

He was devastated when she died last year, aged 95, and cried when eulogising her in his acceptance speeches for his Oscar and Golden Globe awards.