Vanessa Hudgens Reveals Her Dad Just Died Hours Before Grease: Live Performance

The High School Musical ultimate sweetheart gave a new meaning to her Grease: Live performance after announcing on her Twitter account that her father has lost his battle against stage 4 cancer just a couple of hours before she takes on the stage, as reported by PEOPLE on Sunday.

"I am so sad to say that last night my daddy, Greg passed away from stage 4 cancer. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers." The 27-year-old actress tweeted. "Tonight, I do the show in his honor," she later on added.

In August during an emotional speech at the 2015 Industry Dance Awards in Los Angeles, Hudgens first opened up about his father's illness. He also mentioned his boyfriend actor Austin Butler's mother Lori, who also died from cancer. She expressed how she hated the illness with 'every cell' of her being.  In January 2016, she asked for her fans and followers to pray for her father.

"If you would have asked me two years ago what I thought of cancer, I would have said, 'Man, you know it sucks. It's a horrible disease,' but that's only because I had not been faced with it personally," she added. Hudgens also noted the importance of the award she received for her, and then proceeded to dedicating it to his dad, his boyfriend's mom and every other families who struggle and are affected by cancer. She stated that it takes a strong person and a strong family to be able to help others who are going through the same thing as she was. 

Hudgens, who plays the role of Rizzo, along with Carly Rae Jepsen, Aaron Tveit, Julian Hough and a lot more, will appear on Grease: Live which airs Sunday at 7 PM on Fox. Hudgen's performance has been getting high praises from those that were able to watch the show live. Her boyfriend, Butler, took to his Twitter account to express his thoughts. He tweeted about having his mind blown by her girlfriend's brilliant performance and being 'in tears' as Hudgens sang 'Worst Things'.

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