Less than a month after losing their mother, Alma, Mark and Donnie Wahlberg are reaching out in tribute on what would have been her 79th birthday.
"Blue Bloods" star Donnie, 51, shared a mashup of two videos and an explanation of the song playing on both:
In the caption, he wrote that his friend Derrick Jones (the DJ/rapper/producer known as D-Nice) had "honored" Alma's birthday last year by playing Odyssey's "Native New Yorker." Nine months ago, he added, "I was able to play that song for her myself on a visit home, and she amazingly (but not surprisingly) lit up when she heard it, just like the shining star that she always was (as you can see for yourself)."
The video cuts between D-Nice laying out the tune, and Donnie walking the camera into his mother's bedroom to play her the song, which does indeed brighten her up.
Donnie Wahlberg thanked Jones and added, "There are no tears today. Only joy. Only love. Only gratitude. Only reminders. To celebrate the gift of every single day, because tomorrow is not promised. To spread love to every single person that you can, because you never know just how much it will mean to them. To let those whom you love know exactly how much you love them, because you don’t know if you may not have the chance to tell them again. Happy Heavenly Birthday, mom! I love you. As always, your Baby Donnie."
Meanwhile, Mark Wahlberg, 49, shared a sweet photo of himself sitting next to his mom. In the caption he wrote simply, "Happy birthday mommy."
Both brothers posted on social media after Alma died in April, calling her their "angel" who now "has her wings."
Alma had nine children: Arthur, Paul, Jim, Robert, Donnie, Mark, Michelle, Debbie and Tracey. She was widowed when her husband of 17 years, Donald Wahlberg, died in 2008; Debbie passed away in 2003. Alma became a beloved fixture on the family show "Wahlburgers," and she even talked with TODAY's Sheinelle Jones in 2018 about motherhood.