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Kelly Rowland Says Firing Mathew Knowles ‘Was Like A Funeral’

Kelly Rowland attends The X Factor press launch. (August 17, 2011)

*In her new interview with Vibe magazine, Kelly Rowland says she was filled with sadness after firing Mathew Knowles as her manager, insisting it was “like a funeral” when she decided to cut ties with Beyonce’s dad.

The former Destiny’s Child singer ended her professional relationship with Knowles in early 2009 after more than a decade and she admits she felt a little lost after the split, despite feeling the need to “start fresh.”

“I felt like, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ I stayed in the house for two days. I was sad. It was like a funeral,” she told Vibe. “I had to deaden that situation in order to start fresh. That’s a very long time to have the same manager and the same label (Columbia Records).”

She insists the parting of ways was an amicable one, although she is coy when asked if she still speaks to Knowles.

Dodging the question, she tells the publication, “Mathew sent me flowers for my birthday…! I respect him above anything.

“This man made me a millionaire at the age of 18. Taught us how to make money in the industry. I can never, ever forget that.”

Rowland was the first Destiny’s Child member to quit Knowles’ Music World Entertainment management – Michelle Williams followed in 2010 and Beyonce took charge of her own career earlier this year.