In her new book, 'Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving Through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude,' Nicole Avant reveals how her closest friends supported her after her 81-year-old mom Jacqueline was fatally shot during a home invasion. The Obamas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Laura Dern were among those who rallied to her side.
In her new book, ‘Think You’ll Be Happy,’ Nicole Avant reveals how her friends offered support and helped her find joy again after her 81-year-old mom was killedMarissa Charles is PEOPLE's News Director, overseeing the off-hours news operation and collaborating with multiple cross-functional teams to direct news coverage online. Based in Los Angeles, Marissa is an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience specializing in entertainment news, human interest and lifestyle stories.
“My dad always said, ‘I don’t have problems. I have friends.’ And now I know what he meant when he said that because I lived it,” the former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas tells PEOPLE. “Because, without my friends showing up without me having to ask them to, I really don’t know if I’d be sitting here the way I am.”It is no surprise that Nicole can count A-listers and former U.S. presidents among her friends. Her dad Clarence, whoelected president in 2008.
“The beauty of Gwyneth, all my girlfriends, but especially her, is from that day, she controlled everything. She controlled everyone and everything,” says Nicole, who adds that others would call the Oscar winner to find out when they could visit the family and what they should bring. Meanwhile, Dern helped Nicole by driving around Los Angeles and trying to find burial sites for Jacqueline that the family would like. For Nicole — who was liaising with detectives investigating her mom’s case and trying to care for her elderly dad, all while mourning the death of her father-in-law who died days earlier — it was an invaluable kindness. She describes Laura, 56 , as her “real sister.”The support was not just practical, it was emotional too.