Nile Rodgers unable to plan late mother’s funeral: ‘She’s in the back of a refrigerator truck because of Covid’

'When you go there and you see something that's so graphic like that, it really reminds you of images of people thrown into mass graves,' the Chic guitarist said

Nile Rodgers has opened up about being unable to bury his mother, Beverly Goodman, who recently died after a battle with Alzheimer's.

Speaking to Andy Coulson on the Crisis What Crisis podcast, the Chic guitarist said that his mother's body was being kept in the back of a refrigerated truck that also contained victims of the coronavirus.

“I mean, talk about a crisis,” he said. “So, today is the 26th and my Mom is still – I've not been able to make any funeral plans... She's in the back of a refrigerator truck because of Covid.”

“It's horrible, breaking our hearts,” he added. “When you go there and you see something that's so graphic like that, it really reminds you of images of people thrown into mass graves.”

Rodgers's mother died at the age of 82 on 27 December at a New York hospital. “I breathed some of my 1st breaths with her and she breathed some of her last with me,” Rodgers wrote on Twitter that day. “My brothers and I will contact everyone soon. Today I’m numb.”

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic hit the New York area hard earlier in 2020, and the winter months have caused a surge in coronavirus deaths. As a result, morgues and hospitals are unusually backed up.

Also on the Coulson podcast, Rodgers spoke beautifully about his mother, who became pregnant with him when she was 13.

“My mom and dad were beatniks, so we were all into alternative lifestyles and philosophies and all very open-minded,” he said. “So in a strange way, things were fun because they were exploratory.”

“…My parents were super super, intellectual,” he continued. “Very kind people and because of their love I was able to live through their self-centredness.”

He also touched on his parents' substance abuse: “When you're a heroin addict you can't help but be self centred, but they were still very loving, they were just victims of their addiction.”

Over Christmas last year, the guitarist expressed sadness at being unable to see his mother due to Covid regulations.

“The saddest part of this #COVID holiday is not being able to visit my #mom,” Rodgers said on December 23.

“She's always happy and entertaining even w late stage #Alzheimer's. I've learned to redirect or not, so she's never uncomfortable with her memory loss.”