Alicia Keys cut ties with her father when she was 14.
Although the 39-year-old singer/songwriter has since reconciled with her dad Craig Cook, she was so hurt by his "empty promises" after he walked out when she was just two that Alicia finally sent him what she called "divorce papers" in her teens.
She shared the letter, which features in her new book ‘More Myself’ on Instagram and wrote: "A Letter To My Father. I’ve been waiting for the right moment to share this excerpt with you from #MoreMyself…
"In the early part of my teens I wrote this letter to my father, Craig. I wanted nothing to do with him. My words came from a place of vulnerability and longing. At the time it hurt so much to experience what felt like empty promises. I swore I didn’t care, but I did and it affected me deeply. I finally had enough and wrote those words. It’s CRAZY that he kept this letter after all these years. I was so shocked when he first showed me. It was tucked away in a shoe box full of memories. I’m glad he and I can look back at it now as a sign of how far we’ve come.
"If you feel moved to share, send me a deep relationship that you have had to remove from your life, or one that has been mended, or that you want to see evolve, or are working on changing.
"I think it’s so powerful that relationships have their own path. And sometimes they are meant to heal…. Regardless though, most of the time the healing comes from letting go. What are your thoughts?
"Sending u my love, light and strength #moremyself #cheerstotheevolution (sic)."
In the voiceover accompanying the video, Alicia explained: "The letter I sent to my father began not with ‘dear dad’ or even ‘dear Craig’ but simply with the date in the upper left hand corner."
The letter states: "It saddens me that most of my heart is bitter towards you. It’s only that little part that feels sad that’s not bitter. It’s been too long for me to avoid this any longer.
"For all the years I’ve lived, I’ve watched to take care of everybody, except me. I was your first born (as far as I know) and you treat me as if I was never born.
"All I want is for you to mind your own business. I don’t want the phone calls. I don’t want the letters.
"I don’t want the fake acts you pull to try and make me think you care. I don’t want anything. That’s the only way you can make me happy."
Alicia – who has sons Egypt, nine, and Genesis, five, with her husband Swizz Beatz – was raised by her mother Teresa but reconciled with Craig after her paternal grandmother fell ill.
Alicia Keys ‘divorced’ father in her teens
