Lauren Alaina’s stepfather passes away after battle with cancer

Mickey Bernal/Getty ImagesLauren Alaina’s stepfather passed away this weekend after battling cancer.

“My stepdad, Sam, went to heaven at one o’clock this morning,” she shared on Instagram on Sunday, along with a photo with her family after she won the ACM New Female Vocalist trophy this year.

“He was the purest example of how to love and live life fully…” she added. “We are only here for a short amount of time, and we have to live like there is no tomorrow.”

“I want us to all be a little more like Sam,” Lauren went on. “He was strong. He was the most compassionate person in the world. He would go without to help a stranger. He was a great dad.”

Lauren took the weekend off from the Reason to Drink… Another Tour with Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch to be with her family. She closed her note by thanking her fans for their support.

Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.