7-yr-old was heartbroken after mum passed away from cancer—then dad turned all his questions into song that helped them heal
Losing his wife, Taylor, to cancer was heartbreaking for Mark Joseph Brisson Jr., but dealing with the heartbreak his 7-year-old, Forrest, was experiencing after the loss of his mother was especially challenging for the single dad. After the death of his wife, Brisson struggled to cope with his grieving son Forrest's unimaginable loss, but he wanted to create something that would help his son process his grief through songwriting. Titled "The Prettiest Little Angel," the song, penned by Brisson, was inspired by the many questions his son asked while grieving, and nonetheless, the song, posted on his TikTok, has moved the internet to tears, per People.
In 2023, before the onset of her cancer diagnosis, Brisson's wife, Taylor Watts, began acting differently. "The cancer was having an effect on her brain chemistry, but we had no idea at the time," he told the outlet. Unfortunately, Taylor's "stubborn" nature made it difficult for the couple to navigate their relationship, which eventually led to them taking time apart from each other. However, things went awry when Watts' condition worsened, and one day, she reached out to her husband to help her get to the ER. "I immediately drove to her apartment and had to physically carry her from her bed to the car. This was when I realized things must be much worse than any of us could imagine. She was ghost white, extremely weak, and increasingly frail," Brisson recalled. Unfortunately, Watts was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Brisson admits that supporting his wife was challenging due to her "stubborn spirit." He said, "The best way to support her was to let her do what Taylor wanted to do. She was the captain of her own ship, and we were along for the ride." Closer to her cancer treatment, Watts chose to live with her mother. "Our son also lived there so they could have as much time together as possible before she passed," Brisson added. In September 2025, Watts breathed her last at the age of 32, and the most affected was her son Forrest. "Forrest sleeps with her pillow, the same pillow he shared with her in the hospice bed. He has a box that he continues to fill with things that were hers," Brisson revealed. Unable to see his son cope with the grief, Brisson decided to channel his son's questions into a song titled "The Prettiest Little Angel."
@markbrisson3 after a 2 and a half year battle with cancer, God called his prettiest angel home. we wrote this song for her. it's raw, unedited and real. hope this helps someone going through a similar situation. #foryou #original #originalmusic #cancersucks #real ♬ original sound - Mark Brisson
A 2019 study by Katherine Myers-Coffman and colleagues analyzed an eight-session, theory-driven group songwriting program for bereaved adolescents and explored their experiences. Ten adolescents aged 11 to 17 participated across three sites, where grief, coping, emotional expression, self-esteem, and meaning-making were measured using qualitative data from journaling and interviews. It was found that collaborative songwriting may support grief processing and social connection, which worked in the case of Brisson and his son, Forrest.
Sharing a clip of the father-and-son duo singing the song (@markbrisson3 on TikTok), the lyrics draw inspiration from the questions Forrest often asked his father after the death of his mother. "It was extremely difficult to get through it without crying at first. Now we sing it to each other randomly at times throughout the day, and we sing it happily thinking about Taylor," Brisson shared.
Soon after the heartfelt song went viral, many users couldn't help but shed a tear. @livimichelle wrote, "This dad is the ultimate dad, teaching his son to feel his emotions & turn it into this. As a mom & a wife, I know your wife/momma is SO PROUD." @MegWorthy commented, "This is so wholesome and absolutely wrecking me rn. You are a great Dad." @Malrose shared, "This is such a healthy way to go through grief - which is notoriously such an individual thing - together. You are both doing such a good job supporting each other, I can tell. Keep up the good work."