The singer tweets she's “beyond broken” since grandpa was her “favorite person”

Jul 24, 2014 07:35 GMT  ·  By
Ariana Grande takes on final photo together with her grandfather before his death
   Ariana Grande takes on final photo together with her grandfather before his death

21-year-old pop singer Ariana Grande received a heavy blow this week when she found out that her grandfather died on July 22, after succumbing to cancer. Ariana, who is currently topping the charts with her single “Problem,” took to Twitter to commemorate her grandfather, whom she called “her favorite person.”

It was with a broken heart that Ariana commemorated her recently departed grandfather, writing on social media, “I lost you to the summer wind.”

To her fans, she addressed thanks for their support and well wishes, “thank you for your continuous love & light over the past few weeks... we did lose my favorite person to ever exist yesterday, my grandpa.”

The memorial continued with Grande sharing on social media photos of her grandfather from the past, some going back as early as the 1940s. The most touching tribute was the last photo of the intimate moment Ariana and Grandpa Grande ever took together, which shows him smiling bravely for the camera while the singer cuddles next to him in his hospital bed.

A source revealed to Hollywoodlife grandpa's last words, “he told her was to honor her work commitments and to go to NYC and sing her heart out on ‘Good Morning America.’ Once the taping was done, she broke down in tears and cried on Ryan Seacrest's shoulder...”

The death of the elder Grande also affected Ariana's brother, Frankie James Grande, who is currently in the reality show “Big Brother.” For him, it was a moral dilemma whether or not to remove himself from the show.

“Big Brother” is a reality show in which the contestants are isolated in a house filled with cameras and are voted out one by one by the public. The last one to remain is the winner. It turns out that Grandpa also had a message for Frankie on his death bed and that was not to leave the house.

Ariana revealed the drama behind the story in a tweet she later deleted, “Asked grandps last week if he wanted us to pull frankie off bb & he said ‘no way!’ he's gotta play the game even tho i don't understand it.”

Finally, she concluded her Twitter tirade by updating her fans on her feelings while watching her brother on TV react to the news that their grandfather had died. The loving sister said, “watching @frankiejgrande talk abt grandps after reading our letter on the live feed. sobbing / laughing hysterically. love u frankie so much (sic).”

Fans were quick to help the pop singer overcome her grief and even set up pages like RIP Grandpa Grande and Stay Strong Ari to ease her suffering and show their support.