Grace VanderWaal is mourning the death of her mom.
On Tuesday (October 21), the 21-year-old entertainer and the America’s Got Talent season 11 champion shared that her mom Tina VanderWaal had passed away at the age of 53 following a lengthy battle with breast cancer.
Keep reading to find out more…“Can’t yet find the words. I love you mommy. So much. I wake up and want to call you. I don’t know how to move forward without you. I love you,” Grace wrote on Instagram along with several photos and videos with her mom.
The day before, Grace‘s dad Dave VanderWaal took to Facebook to announce Tina‘s death.
“Remembering the beautiful life and love of our amazing Tina 💖” Dave began. “It’s hard to find the words to adequately express our family sorrow, but I want to share the sad news that our beloved Tina VanderWaal —’Superwife’ and Mother ‘extraordinaire’ — passed over to the Lord’s hands last night, October 20. She was a fighter to the end of her long, 17-month battle with cancer, always finding a positive outlook no matter what — for herself and, even more importantly, for others facing the same difficult journey.”
Along with Grace, Dave and Tina are also parents to son Jakob, 26, and Olivia, 25.
“We were married for 27 wonderful years and were blessed with three incredible children — Jakob VanderWaal, Olivia VanderWaal Patterson, and Grace VanderWaal,” Dave continued. “Tina truly was the heart of our family, filling our lives with creativity, laughter, and love. Whether she was designing beautiful jewelry, teaching others to discover their creative spirit, or making every holiday and family moment special, she brought light and joy to everything she touched.”
He added, “In the next few days, I’ll share a link to a Celebration page where all can honor her life and if desired, make a voluntary contribution to a cancer organization in her memory. While our hearts ache, I take comfort in knowing that Tina is now in Heaven — her bright, shining light still guiding us.”
“I know we’ll see her again one day. Until then, we’ll hold tight to the love, joy, and beauty she gave us,” Dave concluded. “She was a laser beam of light to all who knew her. Holding Tina’s beam of light in our hearts always.”
Our thoughts are with the VanderWaal family during this difficult time. RIP.