Country star Lauren Alaina has announced that she’ll be taking time away from her live shows after sharing some tragic news. The singer revealed on social media that her father, JJ Suddeth, has recently passed away from as yet unknown causes. Lauren has since canceled three upcoming concerts to give herself time to grieve.
She shared her heartbreaking news with fans on Instagram earlier this week, writing, “We lost my daddy last night, and I really don’t have the words yet.” She shared that she wouldn’t be able to play her scheduled performances in Savannah, Virginia Beach, and Charlotte.
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On two of these dates, Lauren was due to open for Jason Aldean, as well as performing her own set at the Carowinds Summer Music Festival. Instead, she would go home to be with her family in their hour of need. She finished her post by thanking her loyal fans for their prayers and understanding.
Media outlets subsequently reached out to Lauren’s reps but received no further comment.
Lauren Had a Rocky Relationship with Her Dad
The former American Idol contestant was reported to share a close relationship with her dad, who was known to have attended a lot of her performances. Just last month, Lauren shared touching pictures of the pair together in a sweet Father’s Day tribute on Instagram.
Alongside the photos, Lauren wrote in the caption that JJ had a heart the size of Texas. The picture she posted showed JJ looking emotional at his daughter’s wedding.
Tragically, JJ passed just a few months after Lauren married her new husband Cam Arnold. JJ was clearly delighted on his daughter’s big day, as were the rest of the 450-strong guestlist. Lauren stated afterward that all her siblings stood up at the altar with her, as did her husband’s.
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Although her wedding day painted the picture of one big happy family, Lauren and her dad have had a rocky relationship at times. People Magazine reported that JJ struggled with alcoholism throughout his life. This had a huge effect on his whole family.
A few years ago, his daughter celebrated JJ’s 5th year sober with a heartfelt message online. She took to Instagram to tell everyone how “inspiring” it had been to witness her dad’s bravery and willpower over the previous few years.
She opened up about JJ hitting “rock bottom.” It proved to be the turning point for him to build his way back up.
Lauren stated that her dad was the best example of what it meant to better yourself every day. She called herself the luckiest girl in the world to have him in her life.
Lauren Previously Lost Her Stepdad
JJ’s incredible journey must have made it even harder for Lauren to begin to process her loss. But it’s not the first time the singer has experienced a tragedy like this.
In 2018, the same year Lauren celebrated JJ’s 5th year of sobriety, she mourned the loss of her stepdad Sam Ramker. Sam, who was married to Lauren’s mom Kristy, passed away following a battle with cancer.
Lauren had revealed Sam was fighting the disease a few months earlier. She shared a picture of her and Sam with her mom after Lauren won the New Female Vocalist of the Year trophy at the ACMA Awards.
Lauren wrote that she chose the picture because of how happy her triumph that night had made Sam. What made it even more significant was that the picture was taken the same week the family found out about Sam’s diagnosis.
Lauren revealed in her post that her stepdad had Stage 4 cancer. She directed fans who wanted to help to a GoFundMe page that had raised almost $10,000. A short time later, Lauren took part in the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game to aid cancer research, telling the media that she was dedicating the day to Sam.
After Sam passed, Lauren revealed that his last few hours were some of the most amazing moments she had ever witnessed. Though weak, he opened his eyes at one point and told his family that he could see Heaven. Lauren wrote in a lengthy tribute, “I want this story to be an example of how real God is.”
She went on to talk about her stepdad, describing him as strong, “the most compassionate person in the world,” and “a great dad.” She also said that she wanted everyone to be a little more like Sam.
Lauren Has Been Surrounded by Support
After he passed, Lauren canceled two shows to be with her family. Now, tragically, she has had to do the same after losing JJ.
After she shared her most recent loss with the public, many of her fellow country music stars reached out to share their condolences. Trisha Yearwood wrote in Lauren’s comments, “I love you. So very sorry.”
TJ Osborne praised her for making the decision to take time to grieve. Taking time away from the spotlight to process her situation definitely seems like the best thing for Lauren right now.
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There have also been plenty of other ups and downs between her two major losses. A year after her stepfather lost his life, Lauren announced that she had ended her engagement with former fiance Alex Hopkins.
In January 2019, the ex-couple announced on social media that their six-year-long relationship had come to an end. In a shared post on Instagram, they thanked Lauren’s fans who supported them through “all of our ups and downs.”
They wrote that while they still had love for each other, they had grown into very different people. While they stressed that breaking up had not been an easy decision, Lauren and Alex said they were both now in a place where they could look forward to starting new chapters in their separate lives.
Lauren and Alex Are Focusing on Themselves
In a separate statement, Lauren requested that her fans treat Alex with respect. She explained that she didn’t regret a single second she had spent with him. She wished him the best, hoping her fans would do the same.
Alex, meanwhile, shared that the couple had fought hard to stay together. There must have been plenty of tough times in their relationship, especially after Lauren lost her stepdad.
Alex said that although they both badly wanted to make things work, they realized they just weren’t a part of each other’s perfect plan for their lives. He also said that that was ok, suggesting that the pair weren’t leaving things on a bad note.
The couple had been together since high school. This would be the first time they both had the chance to focus solely on themselves as adults.
They had gotten engaged six months earlier in the summer of 2018. Just a few weeks prior, Lauren had said that she wasn’t sure if an engagement was in her future.
Even after they agreed to get married, Lauren and Alex never got as far as setting a date for their wedding due to their busy schedules. While Lauren has continued to lead a super busy life as she pursues her music career, now more than ever seems like the time to take a break.
