Collo Blue opens up on trauma that led him to work in a mortuary for 5 years

Dancer Collo Blue has opened up about the traumatic experiences that pushed him to work in a mortuary for five years, even while pursuing his dance career.

Speaking during an interview on Sunday, January 25, 2026, Collo said that his decision to volunteer in the mortuary stemmed from deeply personal family trauma.

Collo said his mother experienced a severe mental and emotional collapse following the sudden death of her sister, a loss that shook their previously stable family to its core.

“All year nikijulikana nilikua uko ata last year. For the past 5 years, unajua mimi sikuwa nalipwa nilikuwa volunteer. Yangu ilikua personal abit: when you go through grief as an individual, you will never see people grieve the same way,” he said

He explained that she had been the strongest person he knew, but after her sister’s death, she became disoriented, waking up in the middle of the night to go to the morgue because she could not accept her sister had passed.

Collo said she fainted multiple times during the funeral, leaving the family struggling to cope with the weight of grief.

Witnessing grief

He said that witnessing his mother’s decline from stability to near collapse had a lasting impact on him. Growing up in a supportive household, Collo said he had never seen his parents argue or experience such emotional turmoil.

He said the events surrounding his aunt’s death shaped his understanding of grief and mental health, motivating him to study psychology after initially aspiring to become a neurosurgeon.

“After Kumaliza high nilikua nata kuwa neurosergeon so me niko na ptsd. I want to know what was happening in brain nika research and Nikasettle in psychology,” he noted.

Collo said that after finishing his university studies, he faced difficult choices, including entering a children’s home or even prison, but he chose to work in the mortuary. He said he wanted to help others confront grief directly and prevent children from experiencing the kind of trauma he had witnessed.

“Kulikuwa na choise ya kuenda prison, children’s home and other place, but nikachoose mortuary because I would not want any person’s son to go through that,” he said.

Lessons learned from the mortuary

He said that during his five years volunteering, he observed the rawest forms of human emotion, including depression, substance abuse, and destructive behaviours caused by unresolved grief.

Collo said the experience deepened his understanding of how loss affects the brain and emphasised the importance of mental health support and grief therapy.

Collo said that today he uses his platform as a dancer to raise awareness about mental health and grief, combining his artistic career with advocacy. He said his journey reflects resilience and the ability to turn personal tragedy into a mission to help others navigate their most difficult moments.

Collo said he hopes to show that grief is not limited to words or condolences; it is a process that requires understanding, support, and time.

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