Actor Shemar Moore is becoming a dad, and the due date helps him celebrate his late mom

On a day that Shemar Moore will mark the loss of a loved one, the "S.W.A.T." actor is expecting to welcome another.

Moore announced Monday that he's expecting his first child — with his girlfriend, model and actress Jesiree Dizon — on Feb. 8, the day his mother died three years ago at age 76.

"I'm Shemar Moore, 52½ years old. My mother is in heaven. Right now, it'll be the three-year anniversary on Feb. 8," Moore said during an appearance on "The Jennifer Hudson Show." "And on Feb. 8, I'm going to make one of her dreams come true because, in real life, Shemar Moore is about to be a daddy."

"That's news," Hudson exclaimed as the audience applauded. "And your mama's gonna be so proud, smiling at you from heaven."

Moore admitted he was worried that the "ship had sailed" on having a child, "but God had my back and things lined up."

The "Criminal Minds" and "Days of Our Lives" actor also posted a video to his Instagram on Monday from an earlier gender reveal party. During the party, a helicopter flew over Moore and Dizon's home, releasing a trail of pink powder, as he and his family and friends screamed and embraced.

"Mama, I did it," he said earlier in the video. "I miss her so much. I wish she was here. She's smiling. I wanted to make this happen while you were still here, but you're still a part of this."

Moore often spoke about his mother, Marylin Joan Wilson-Moore, and credited the former Boston public school teacher with his success.

"I'm raised by a single mom and didn't have pops around for the most part of my life," Moore told "Entertainment Tonight" in a 2013 interview about his mother's battle with multiple sclerosis. "And she, by any means necessary, gave me the best opportunities that she knew how to give me."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.