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September 2 holds a "bittersweet" value to Infinite (2021) star Mark Wahlberg. The actor's first child, daughter Ella Rae, was born on 2 September 2003, while his sister Debbie Wahlberg passed away on the same day.
Mark Wahlberg shared an Instagram snap of himself with his daughter on her 18th birthday, followed by a photo of him and his late sister. September 2 (Thursday) marked the 18th death anniversary of Debbie.
The 50-year-old actor expressed his pride for his daughter in the caption and also said,
"Missing my big sister Debbie Ella's Guardian angel."
The post also received comments from Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner, who wrote,
"Wow. 18! Proud papa."
What happened to Mark Wahlberg's sister, Debbie?
Debbie Wahlberg had eight other siblings along with Mark Wahlberg. She was born to parents Alma Elaine and Donald E Wahlberg on 8 July 1960, in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts. She was around 11 years older than Mark.
In a 2019 interview with ET Canada, Mark Wahlberg mentioned how Debbie's death was "devastating" for his family. Mark reminisced:
"My mom really went into a big, deep depression after my sister passed away...it was a real jolt to her. It was completely devastating. She lost her first-born daughter and was so crushed, so that set her back more. She became more lost."
The Boston native further added how his family's reality TV show The Wahlburgers healed their grief after losing Debbie in 2003. The show ran from 2014 to 2019.
Mark Wahlberg said,
"She's (his mother Alma) a real people person and retreated [from working in their family restaurant] a little after my sister passed away, but being at the restaurants — shaking hands, connecting with people — and then being on the show [The Wahlburgers], she found her voice again."
Meanwhile, Mark's elder brother Paul said to ET,
"The show's been really good for her (Alma)...She fell in love with all the people who worked on it — she would have them over for dinner and she still keeps in touch with them."
How did Debbie Wahlberg die?
On September 2, Debbie passed away from a heart attack at the young age of 43. It was reported that Debbie had a kidney stone, which she was almost ready to remove surgically. However, due to an infection, there were some complications. Debbie had a heart attack and she passed away.
Mark Wahlberg's mother, Alma, also passed away recently in April 2021.
