Dealing with a loss is something that everyone deals with differently, and it is very hard to relate when everybody has their own personal experiences. However, some may take comfort in hearing stories similar to their own to remind themselves that they're not alone. Stars like Dove Cameron and Demi Lovato know what it is like to lose their fathers, and they have opened up about how they dealt with the heartbreaking deaths in their families.
Dove Cameron lost her dad at age 15.
The Descendants 2 actress has opened up about her dark childhood, but said it has helped her focus on what really matters.
"Here’s the thing – and I’ve been vocal about this – I’ve had the craziest childhood imaginable,” Dove said in an interview. “It was so dark. So because of that, the light in my life has become a medication for that. And it was like I refused to have that darkness in my life anymore. Because I knew what it was like to go to the darkest possible place. And because of that, you get really clear on what matters and what doesn’t. That’s been such a blessing.”
It's possible that those dark years may have to do with the death of her father. Although Dove lost her dad at the age of 15, she continues to learn from him to this day.
"I feel as though I understand you more and more as I begin to understand myself in these formative years, and although it can't ever replace the years I've lost with you, I know I am never without you because you are in me," Dove opened up in a post dedicated to her late father. "The gift that you have given to me and Claire, the intense pain and loss, has brought a clarity, a deep human connection, an empathy and a color to our lives in a way that nothing else could. I can never go back to who I was before, and I would never want to. You still teach me lessons every day, and make me laugh as the lessons you instilled at a young age begin to settle into my bones and make more sense. You set me up for the best life imaginable, and I plan to make your proud every single day and never waste it."
Bella Thorne's father was killed in a car accident.
The Famous In Love star opened up about the difficulty of adjusting to tragically losing her dad.
"There are times where I'm completely normal even to this day and I'm just like, 'Oh, that light post looks nice. I wonder if Daddy would like that light post.' And then, all of a sudden, I realize I'm crying," Bella opened up in an interview.
Demi Lovato's dad died of cancer in 2013.
Due to his mental illness, the singer's father didn't have the best relationship with the family. Demi wrote the song "Father" to dive into her feelings about her dad and the loss.
"I was very conflicted when he passed, because he was abusive," Demi said. "He was mean, but he wanted to be a good person. And he wanted to have his family, and when my mom married my stepdad, he still had this huge heart where he said, 'I'm so glad that [he's] taking care of you and doing the job that I wish I could do.'"
Austin Mahone lost his father at a young age.
The singer lost his dad at a really young age, which means he never knew what it was like to really have him around.
"People are like, 'Is it weird that you don't have a dad?' No," he said. "That's just how I grew up, and that's what's normal for me. I can't imagine having a dad. I can't be like, 'Hey, Dad! Want to go play catch in the yard?' That would be weird for me to say."
Vanessa Hudgens' father passed away of cancer.
The actress' dad died of stage 4 cancer hours before Vanessa was set to star in Grease: Live, in which she performed in his honor.
“There are highs and there are lows. It sucks, but death happens. It never makes it easier but it happens to all of us. It’s just something we have to get through until we all meet again in heaven.”
Colton Haynes
The actor struggled with his sexuality for years before losing his father and when his father died by suicide, it really affected the actor perceived himself.
He opened up in an interview, "I was told that my dad killed himself because he found out I was gay. So, of course, I lost it and was like, ‘How could you say something like that?’ And no one will ever really know the truth. But my brother and my mom went to pick up my dad’s stuff, and the only picture on his fridge was my eighth-grade graduation picture."
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