Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame is all set to play Rizzo in tonight’s Grease: Live, but sadly, that excitement has been dimmed by some terrible events. After a six month battle with Stage 4 cancer, Hudgens’ dad, Greg Hudgens, passed away this morning. The actress took to Twitter to share the sad news:
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.
— Vanessa Hudgens (@VanessaHudgens) January 31, 2016
Despite this unfortunate timing, Hudgens will still perform tonight on the Fox musical. She is dedicating the performance to her late father.
Tonight, I do the show in his honor.
— Vanessa Hudgens (@VanessaHudgens) January 31, 2016
I can’t imagine having to pick up and carry on so soon after the loss of a loved one, so the fact that Hudgens is going on with the show speaks to her professionalism. For her part, Hudgens seems to be handling the news as well as possible, posting videos on her Instagram encouraging fans to watch tonight.
People handle grief in many different ways, so maybe it’s for the best that she is fulfilling her contract and keeping her game face on. Hopefully she’ll have time to process her grief and be with family once the job is done. The death of a parent is never easy, so send some good vibes her way while she hand jives her way across America’s screens. There are worse things you could do.
