Hollywood Life

Cathy Mercer

Cathy Mercer
Courtesy of The Mercer/Odom Family

Details

Also Known As:
Lamar Odom's mother
Date of Birth:
January 1, 1900
Hometown:
Queens

Bio:
Cathy Mercer (died July 1992, New York) was best known for being NBA star Lamar Odom’s mother. Lamar’s father, Joe Odom, was a heroin addict, so Cathy raised Lamar as a single parent. Because of this, she and Lamar were very close. She was a corrections officer at Rikers Island, New York City’s main jail complex. Although they lived in a relatively bad area of New York, Cathy was determined to keep Lamar off the dangerous streets, which eventually led him to focusing on basketball. Cathy sadly passed away in July 1992 when Lamar was only 12 years old due to colon cancer. He was then raised by her mother, Mildred.

Best Known For:
Cathy was best known as the mother of NBA star Lamar Odom.

Personal Life:
Cathy raised Lamar in South Jamaica, Queens, New York as a single parent. They had a great relationship as Lamar was her only child. She had a similar mothering technique to her mother, Mildred, to keep her son off the dangerous streets of New York by urging him to focus on his studies and sports.