Demi Lovato Pays Tribute To Father One Year Later
Demi Lovato lost her father last year on June 22. The 21-year-old pop star’s father, Patrick Lovato, was 54. Demi tweeted a collage of photos taken of her and her father when Demi was a little girl.
Can't believe it's already been a year.. Wish I could've hugged you one last time.. RIP Daddy, I love you. pic.twitter.com/kuR6p1hkTx
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) June 20, 2014
The singer certainly had a difficult relationship with her father, as seen in her song “For the Love of a Daughter” from her Unbroken album. In fact, there were several years in which Demi cut off all communication with her father, who had been dealing with mental health issues.
My dad suffered from severe mental illness so at least there's peace in knowing he's not suffering anymore.
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) June 20, 2014
When Demi Lovato struggled with bipolar disorder and self-harm issues in 2010, her father attempted to contact her, with no success. Demi, who had been fighting her own battles at the time, found it too painful to be around him.
“The last time I talked to him was two years ago. You try to have faith in somebody, even when you’re the last person that believes in him. But when somebody lets you down after you’ve been the only one there for them, and so many times, you don’t know what else to do,” Demi told the New York Daily News.
It is unclear as to whether or not Demi reached out to her father before he passed. While no cause was given for his passing, Demi’s father had been battling throat cancer for several years at the time, and had just undergone surgery. Demi’s song “For the Love of a Daughter” also hints that her father may have had issues with alcohol.
“He wasn’t able to function in society very well… My father and I didn’t have the most ideal relationship. But at the end of the day, he’s still my dad. I grew up with him, and he’s a wonderful person,” Demi Lovato told Good Morning America.
While their relationship was somewhat estranged while he was alive, Demi Lovato partnered with CAST Recovery to create the Lovato Treatment Scholarship in honor of her father. The Lovato Treatment Scholarship will pay for the treatment of mental health and/or addiction issues.
Demi Lovato admitted that while laying her dad to rest was “the hardest thing” she had ever done, after the funeral she felt that “great things” would come of it.
Patrick and Demi’s mother Dianna divorced in 1994, so Demi was raised mostly by her stepfather, Eddie de la Garza. In spite of their difficulties, it is clear that Demi and her father were extremely close.
[Image via Demi Lovato/Twitter]
