A Canadian English teacher. Worked as a florist to make ends meet. Met a musician at a nightclub. Married. Had a son. Divorced when he was five. Raised her child alone in a basement apartment. Struggled with serious health issues including osteoporosis that threatened to paralyze her. Yet continued to show up, work multiple jobs, and give her son everything she could. Now her son is worth $250 million, and he credits everything to her. Sandi Graham is the story of a mother whose quiet sacrifice became the foundation for one of the world’s greatest music careers.
SANDI GRAHAM: COMPLETE FACTS
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sandra Gale Sher (maiden name) |
| Current Name | Sandi Graham |
| Born | January 28, 1960, Canada |
| Age | 65-66 years old (as of 2026) |
| Heritage | Ashkenazi Jewish-Canadian |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Height | 4’8″ (1.42 meters / 1.65 meters – sources vary) |
| Weight | 80-90 lbs (approximately 35-40 kg) |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Natural black, often dyed blonde |
| Parents | Reuben Sher (supermarket manager), Evelyn Sher (cleaning lady) |
| Siblings | One brother (deceased before 2012) |
| First Marriage | Dennis Graham (married June 1985, divorced 1991) |
| First Husband’s Profession | Musician, drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis |
| Son | Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) |
| Custody | Full custody of Drake after divorce |
| Career #1 | English teacher (primary career) |
| Career #2 | Florist (additional income) |
| Education | Studied at Canadian schools; career in education |
| Health Issues | Osteoporosis, joint pain, spinal surgery (head separating from spine) |
| Residence During Drake’s Childhood | Weston Road, Toronto (working-class neighborhood), then Forest Hill neighborhood (lower half of duplex) |
| Current Residence | Toronto, Canada (primary) |
| Relationship Status | Single (as of 2026) |
| Grandchildren | Adonis Graham (Drake’s son with Sophie Brussaux, born 2017) |
| Net Worth | Estimated $1-2 million |
| Drake’s Net Worth | $250+ million |
| Drake’s Tribute | Tattoo of her initials “SG” under his left eye; songs “You & The 6,” “Successful,” “Look What You’ve Done”; SherClub named after her |
| Mother’s Death | Evelyn Sher passed away Thanksgiving 2012 |
| Recent Milestone | Celebrated 65th birthday with Dennis and Drake (parents reunited peacefully) |
| Public Appearances | Attends Drake’s concerts, award shows, sporting events |
| Social Media Status | Featured regularly on Drake’s Instagram |
| Legacy | Mother who inspired “mama’s boy” mentality in one of the world’s biggest rappers |
The Girl Born Into Jewish-Canadian Tradition
Sandra Gale Sher was born on January 28, 1960, in Canada to parents Reuben Sher and Evelyn Sher. Her family was Ashkenazi Jewish, meaning they carried traditions and values passed down through generations of Eastern European Jewish heritage. Her father, Reuben, managed a supermarket. Her mother, Evelyn, worked as a cleaning lady—a woman who worked with her hands to provide for her family, who understood sacrifice and labor.
Sandi grew up in this environment of hard work and Jewish tradition. She learned that success came from dedication. That family was everything. That education and culture were prized possessions that no one could take away. These values would become the foundation of everything she did as a mother.
Unlike many of her peers who pursued glamorous careers, Sandi chose education. She became an English teacher. Not for the money—teaching has never been a lucrative profession. But because she believed in the power of education to transform lives. To give young people tools they would need to build better futures. This wasn’t a job to her. It was a calling.
The Meeting That Changed Everything
- Club Bluenote in Toronto. A nightclub where live music filled the air.
Sandi was there when she heard a man ask the bartender for a cigarette. She had one. She offered it to him. A simple gesture. A moment that would ripple across decades.
The man was Dennis Graham, a musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was performing at the club with a legendary musician, Jerry Lee Lewis himself. Dennis was a drummer. A talented musician with Memphis blues in his blood.
They connected. Quickly. Deeply. Within months, they married in June 1985.
By October 1986, Sandi gave birth to Aubrey Drake Graham in Toronto. A beautiful son. A child born from love, from music, from two people who believed they would build a life together.
She named him Drake. A name that would eventually be known across the entire world.
The Divorce That Became Her Reality
Five years into marriage, things fell apart.
The exact reasons are not fully documented, but sources suggest financial stress, incompatibility, and personal struggles. Dennis faced legal troubles. Drug-related charges led to incarceration in Memphis, Tennessee. He couldn’t return to Canada regularly. The distance became impossible to bridge.
By 1991, Sandi and Dennis divorced.
Sandi received full custody of Drake. She was now a single mother in Toronto with a five-year-old boy who barely understood why his father wasn’t coming home.
Dennis didn’t disappear entirely—he remained involved in Drake’s life—but the financial burden fell squarely on Sandi’s shoulders. She had to be mother and father. Provider and nurturer. Teacher and protector.
The Basement Apartment And The Lower Half Of A House
Sandi and Drake didn’t live in the wealthy Toronto neighborhoods you see today. They lived in the working-class west side of Toronto on Weston Road—a neighborhood where immigrants and laborers built their lives.
Later, they moved to the lower half of a duplex in Forest Hill. Not the prestigious upper level. The basement. The modest half that was all they could afford on a teacher’s salary plus whatever she could make as a florist.
Drake later described it plainly: “My mother happens to be a Jewish woman. She wanted the best for her family. She found us a half of a house we could live in. The other people had the top half, we had the bottom half. I lived in the basement, my mom lived on the first floor. It was not big, it was not luxurious. It was what we could afford.”
This was Sandi’s reality. Not poverty, exactly. But financial constraint. Constant worry about making rent. Choosing between necessities. Working two jobs because one wasn’t enough.
The Mother Who Fought Through Pain
Sandi Graham suffered from serious health problems that would have broken many people.
She was diagnosed with osteoporosis—a disease where bones become brittle and fragile. She experienced severe joint pain that sometimes left her immobilized. At one point, she faced a condition where her head was literally separating from her spine, threatening paralysis.
She required spinal surgery. An invasive procedure with serious risks. During her recovery, she was bedridden. Unable to work. Unable to care for herself fully.
But Drake was there. Young Drake—the boy she had sacrificed everything for—was now the one supporting her emotionally. He told her everything would be alright. He forced her to believe in recovery.
After her surgery, doctors successfully reinforced her spine. She recovered. And Drake, grateful for his mother’s sacrifice, sent her on a vacation to Rome—a trip she hadn’t taken in 22 years.
Later, when Drake’s career took off and his schedule became demanding, he would cancel European tours to be with her when she needed him most. The boy became the man who honored his mother’s sacrifice by putting her before his own success.
The Jewish Traditions She Passed Down
Despite financial struggles, Sandi ensured Drake experienced his Jewish heritage fully.
When Drake turned 13, she organized his Bar Mitzvah—a coming-of-age ceremony in the Jewish tradition. It wasn’t an elaborate affair. But it was meaningful. It connected Drake to thousands of years of Jewish tradition. It told him: you are part of something bigger than yourself. Your heritage matters.
She raised him with Jewish values. Education. Family. Culture. Community. These weren’t abstract concepts. They were lived daily in their household. They were the reason she worked two jobs. The reason she sacrificed. The reason she endured pain and illness without complaint.
The Son Who Became Her Greatest Achievement
As Drake’s career exploded—from his appearance on Degrassi to his breakthrough album “Thank Me Later” to becoming one of the world’s biggest rappers—Sandi remained his constant. His anchor. His inspiration.
He didn’t hide his love for her. Instead, he celebrated it.
He referenced her in songs like “You & The 6,” where he rapped: “You and the six raised me right, that shit saved my life.” He mentioned her in “Successful,” in “Look What You’ve Done,” in “Must Hate Money,” in “From Time.” His music is filled with tributes to the woman who sacrificed everything.
In 2022, he got her initials “SG” tattooed under his left eye—a permanent testament to his devotion.
When he opened his SherClub sports and entertainment venue in Toronto, he named it after her maiden name, Sher. A business establishment bearing her name. A monument to her legacy.
Drake has called himself a “mama’s boy,” and he says it with pride, not shame. In an industry where masculine toughness is sometimes valued over emotional honesty, he chose vulnerability. He chose to honor his mother publicly and repeatedly.
The Recent Reunion
For decades, Dennis Graham faced legal barriers that prevented him from regularly entering Canada. The separation between Drake’s parents felt permanent.
But in recent years, things changed. Dennis was finally able to visit Canada again. The family reunited. And remarkably, Sandi and Dennis—two people who had divorced 30+ years earlier—were able to come together peacefully.
When Sandi turned 65, both Dennis and Drake celebrated with her. They posed for photos together. The family that had been broken was, in some way, healed. Not through reconciliation of their marriage, but through the love they shared for Drake and their grandson Adonis.
This is Sandi’s greatest achievement: not just raising a successful son, but raising a son capable of forgiveness, of honoring his mother, of loving his father despite their failures, of being a whole human being.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is Sandi Graham?
A: Sandi Graham is the mother of global music superstar Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham). Born Sandra Gale Sher on January 28, 1960, she is a former English teacher and florist who raised Drake as a single mother in Toronto after divorcing his father Dennis Graham.
Q: When was Sandi Graham born?
A: Sandi Graham was born on January 28, 1960, in Canada. She is currently 65-66 years old as of 2026.
Q: What is Sandi Graham’s ethnic background?
A: Sandi Graham is of Ashkenazi Jewish-Canadian descent. She grew up in a Jewish household that valued education, tradition, and family.
Q: How did Sandi Graham meet Drake’s father?
A: Sandi Graham met Dennis Graham at Club Bluenote in Toronto in 1985, where Dennis was performing as a drummer with musician Jerry Lee Lewis. She offered him a cigarette at the bar, and they connected immediately.
Q: When did Sandi Graham and Dennis Graham divorce?
A: Sandi Graham and Dennis Graham were married in June 1985 and divorced in 1991, when Drake was five years old. Dennis faced legal troubles that eventually led to his incarceration, making the marriage unsustainable.
Q: What was Sandi Graham’s profession?
A: Sandi Graham was primarily an English teacher throughout her career. She also worked as a florist to earn additional income to support herself and Drake during their financially constrained years.
Q: How did Sandi Graham raise Drake?
A: Sandi Graham raised Drake as a single mother in Toronto after receiving full custody following her divorce from Dennis. She lived in modest accommodations (including a basement apartment and the lower half of a duplex) and worked multiple jobs to provide for him.
Q: Did Sandi Graham have health problems?
A: Yes. Sandi Graham suffered from osteoporosis and severe joint pain throughout her adult life. Most seriously, she faced a condition where her head was separating from her spine, requiring emergency spinal surgery that Drake supported her through emotionally and financially.
Q: How does Drake honor his mother?
A: Drake honors his mother extensively. He has referenced her in multiple songs including “You & The 6,” mentions her in interviews, has tattooed her initials “SG” under his left eye, opened a club called SherClub named after her maiden name (Sher), and frequently posts about her on social media. He has repeatedly called himself a “mama’s boy” with pride.
Q: What is Sandi Graham’s current net worth?
A: Sandi Graham’s estimated net worth is between $1-2 million. This is modest compared to her son Drake’s $250+ million net worth, but represents the comfortable life she has built through her career and her son’s generous support.
Q: Does Sandi Graham still have contact with Dennis Graham?
A: Yes. In recent years, legal barriers that prevented Dennis from entering Canada were removed, and the family has been able to reunite peacefully. Sandi and Dennis celebrated her 65th birthday together alongside Drake and their grandson Adonis, demonstrating that they have found peace and are able to co-parent as grandparents.
Q: What is Sandi Graham’s relationship with Drake?
A: Sandi Graham and Drake have an exceptionally close relationship. Drake has repeatedly stated that his mother is his hero and best friend. She attends his concerts, award shows, and sporting events regularly, and he involves her in his life publicly and proudly.