Mother and stepfather of Winona Green, Lil Bo Weep, pay tribute to their selfless daughter

A loving final cuddle is a memory that the mother of Lil Bo Weep, known to loved ones as Winnie, will never forget, as her family reflects on the legacy of the underground musician.

Vicki Shaw and Simon Stewart with their children Zoe and Rose, with a collage of photos of Winona in the background. Picture: Brenton Edwards

A selfless innate drive to help others throughout her life before it was tragically cut short this month was both a blessing and a curse to Winona Green, better known as musician Lil Bo Weep/Unaloon.

Affectionately known as “Winnie” to her loving, and now heartbroken family, Lil Bo Weep was quickly rising to stardom through the underground music scene in Australia, and particularly overseas.

But it all came crashing down on March 4 when at a tender age of 22 her life was tragically cut short in Adelaide following what her family confirmed was an accidental drug overdose.

Details surrounding her death are currently under investigation by SA Police.

Her mother, Vicki Shaw, 44, said she would never forget the last time she held her beloved daughter, two weekends before she died.

Lil Bo Weep performing at a concert. Picture: Supplied by family

“That last time I saw her, she hugged me,” Ms Shaw said.

“And then I went to get in the car and she ran back to me and she said ‘Mum you didn’t give me a cuddle’ and I said ‘I did give you a cuddle’ and then she just wrapped her arms around me and gave me another hug.

“The weekend she passed away we were supposed to catch up, and I couldn’t get a hold of her.”

Winnie’s mental health struggles were no secret to her family, or her fans.

Her music, that she described to Ms Shaw as “ambient” had central themes around struggles with mental health including post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders, drug addiction and personal problems.

Winnie was described as selfless, empathetic and caring by her family. Picture: Supplied by family

In the days following Winnie’s death, Ms Shaw and stepfather Simon Stewart, 46, welcomed an outpouring of support from thousands of devastated fans across the globe.

“While her music was often not so positive, she transformed that into a lot of positive messages to her fans and got her fans out of some tricky situations,” Mr Stewart said.

“All the messages that Vic’s [Ms Shaw] receiving from friends and fans detail how she supported them through their various troubles.”

Mr Stewart said Winnie made the time to reply to every comment on her Instagram posts, offering fans support with their own mental health issues, even if there were hundreds to go through.

Being a proud big sister was a staple for Winnie. Picture: Supplied by family

According to data from music streaming service Spotify, Lil Bo Weep has more than 275,000 monthly listeners, while her top five songs boast millions of hits each.

Her most popular song, “not ok but its ok” has more than 12 million plays.

Thousands of fans from countries including Brazil, Russia, the United States of America, Australia and other nations have shared their tributes online, expressing heartbreak and shock over the death of Lil Bo Weep.

Winnie was born on January 2, 2000, as Cheyenne Lisa Green to Ms Shaw and father Matthew Schofield Green, before “begging” Ms Shaw to change her name at around 13-years-old.

Lil Bo Weep, aka Winona Green, as a child. Picture: Supplied

It was the same time as her official identity change that Ms Shaw noticed Winnie was spending hours on end in her room, creating music and publishing tracks on SoundCloud.

“I was just shocked, because I had no idea that you could even do that; it was a different world to me,” Ms Shaw said.

“I remember going into a food court with her, I just heard some screaming off in the distance, and this girl that would have been about 11-or-12-years-old comes running up to us with her mother wanting an autograph.

“And that was the very first moment that I really realised okay, maybe there is a fan base, this is real music that you’re doing.”

Winnie’s family standing with pieces of fan art collated from followers across the globe. Picture: Brenton Edwards

A self-described “cautious” and “protective” mother, Ms Shaw said while excited for Winnie and her budding career, she was “cautious as to what it might bring”.

Winnie was assisted by Ms Shaw and Mr Stewart to make several trips to the US and Canada, that propelled the development of her career.

Lil Bo Weep met with a representative from Sony Music Entertainment, but declined an offer to remain independent, Mr Stewart said.

“She initially went to Dallas, she had a big fan base there, so that’s where I guess she started and did quite a few performances in Dallas and got her wings,” Mr Stewart said.

The last trip Winnie made was before Covid-19 border closures and required emergency DFAT intervention following a series of troubling events for her in the US, Ms Shaw said.

“It became a point of we really needed to get her home quickly,” Ms Shaw said.

“She was telling me that she was living on the street, and we were very very concerned about her wellbeing at that stage.”

A day at the beach with her family is a memory Ms Shaw won’t forget. Picture: Supplied by family

Winnie found a particular connection with Montreal in Canada, and told Ms Shaw and Mr Stewart that she “loved the life, culture, people and the atmosphere”.

But in-between four trips to the US and Canada, back home, Winnie was focused on being a role model and positive influence to younger siblings, Rose, 4, and Zoe, 2.

Winnie became a big sister at 17, and Ms Shaw said she could immediately tell how proud she was.

“She’s creative, nurturing, she loved her two little sisters … that first time she held her (Rose), that pride I could see, she was just so proud to be a big sister,” Ms Shaw said.

“And she just always told me ‘I want to look after her when I’m older, she’s mine, you make sure she can be with me’”.

Winnie as a child playing with two puppies. Picture: Supplied by family

One of the final memories that Ms Shaw and Mr Stewart had with Winnie and said she would never forget was a family outing to the beach.

“She spent a day with us as a family on the beach, not long before she passed away, and it just felt like she was Winnie again,” Ms Shaw said.

“We went swimming together, she took the kids in the water for a dip, we laughed, we talked, we sat there for ages, we just had a really good day.”

Lil Bo Weep’s family are comforted by a never ending legacy through her music, that they say will continue to help people navigate their own struggles.

“I think it helps me a lot through the grieving,” Ms Shaw said.

“Having people reaching out sharing stories about what she’s done for them is just really beautiful and I just love that other people can see that and appreciate her too.”

“Her love is always going to continue, and she has some words out there that will ensure she will forever live on.”

A fundraiser has been created by Winnie’s family to raise money for a funeral. Details of the funeral service will also be provided via the link. To donate, click here.

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