Demi Lovato's dad has passed away.
The cause of death of the superstar singer's father is yet to be known, but apparently, he had been fighting against throat cancer in the last few years, according to radaronline.com. Demi has thanked people on Twitter for all the love and support she has received in this, one of the hardest moments of her life.
"I feel so humbled to have had so much support from my fans, friends, family and complete strangers.. God bless you all, thank you so much â¤", she tweeted.
Patrick Lovato, who was only 54 years old, had divorced Demi's mom when little Demi was four years old. Demi has been raised by stepdad Eddie De La Garza, according to latina.com.
In the singer's album "Unbroken", the song "For the Love of a Daughter" talks about a daughter's difficult relationship with her father, and in it, she gives a hint that her father may have had issues with alcohol. The lyrics read: "Oh, father, please, father, I'd love to leave you alone, But I can't let you go, (...) Put the bottle down, For the love of a daughter. It's been five years since we've spoken last, And you can't take back, What we never had."
Demi once commented on the song to dailymail.co.uk: "It's a very personal song. The lyrics are self-explanatory about my relationship with my estranged father whom I haven't spoken to in five years. I wrote it when I was 16 and getting it out is like therapy".
Years ago, Demi commented on her determination not to have her father around in her life anymore: "I had to cut off all connection. It was hurting me too much", according to nydailynews.com.
Patrick, on the other hand, tried to reach out for her daughter on several occasions, specially in 2010 when she was going through a rough time (bipolar disorder and self-harming). "I love her so much, and I just want her to call me. This is the only way I can talk to her, I try to reach her but it never works", he told to radaronline.com
Simon Cowell, the creator of the show "X Factor", that has Demi as a judge in a singing competition, also showed his care for her through Twitter. "My thoughts are with you Demi", he posted. Demi's mother, Dianna De La Garza, tweeted shortly after the news came out. "Thank you all for the outpouring of love and prayers. Y'all are amazing!", she posted along with an image of her two daughters and their father.