Lauren Alaina suffered an immense tragedy in her family recently: On July 24, the singer and former American Idol runner-up shared the painful news that her father, J.J. Suddeth, had died.
“We lost my daddy last night, and I really don’t have words yet,” she told fans at the time.
On Tuesday (Aug. 6), she found the words, writing to fans for the first time since his death.
“Thank you. I can’t think of much else to say right now other than thank you,” she begins in a post on social media. “Thank you to everyone who has checked on me and continued to show up for me.”
In addition to fans, Alaina specifically calls out her tour partner and friend, Jason Aldean, and his wife, Brittany, as well as her husband, and family.
“Thank you to my momma and bonus dad for coming out on the road with me,” she continues. “Most of all thank you Jesus for the unconditional love and strength from the Kingdom of God surrounding all of us right now as we navigate this pain and sorrow.”
Her post includes photos from her tour with Aldean, as well as notes from her adoring fans.
Brittany Aldean, Jake Owen, and Carly Pearce are among the many comments of support on her post.
“We love you forever and always, Laur,” Brittany writes.
This isn’t the first time Alaina has come face-to-face with death in her family: In October of 2018, her stepfather, Sam Ranker, died of cancer.
Prior to Suddeth’s death, the singer paid tribute to her dad in an Instagram post for Father’s Day. It’s not clear whether he was suffering some kind of ailment that led to his passing.
In her July 24 post, the singer said she would no longer be able to perform at planned shows in Savannah, Virginia Beach and Charlotte. In her latest update, she shares that she’s eager to get back on the road as part of Aldean’s Highway Desperado Tour. She’ll resume performing on Aug. 8 at Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
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