Demi Lovato has been left “devastated” after losing a friend, Thomas, to a drug overdose. The singer — who’s been very vocal about her battle with her own drug addiction in the past — opened up about the passing of her friend on her Instagram stories this week, describing addiction as a “terrible disease.”
As reported by E! News , the mourning “Cool For The Summer” singer shared a black and white photo of Thomas as she also got candid about drug addiction with her 74.5 million followers.
“Devastated. Please hold your loved ones tight. Tell them they are special and that you love them. Make sure they know it,” Demi told fans via the social media site this week, adding, “RIP to my boo @sirtruss” with three black hearts.
She then continued to speak about addiction on her account, adding that she was left “crushed” by her friend’s sudden passing.
“Addiction is NO joke.. heaven gained this beautiful angel last night because of that terrible disease,” she said. “I’m crushed and will always miss you @sirtruss.”
The star then pleaded with her millions of followers, adding, “If you or someone you know is struggling please know it’s okay to ask for help.”
Demi herself has had a very public battle with addiction and suffered a scary overdose in July 2018 that saw her in the hospital for two weeks. After leaving the hospital, she checked herself into a rehab facility.
The “Skyscraper” singer has been very candid about her battles in the hopes of helping others with the same disease. She told fans following her hospitalization that she was focused on getting better and would be “fighting” to maintain her sobriety.
“The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side,” Demi wrote in a message to her fans at the time, per E! News . “I will keep fighting.”
The star’s latest sad Instagram post in tribute to her late friend comes shortly after the former Camp Rock star was forced to apologize to fans via social media after taking a sponsored trip to Israel.
As The Inquisitr reported, the ex-Disney Channel star apologized for not being “more educated” after she shared several photos of herself in the country on her Instagram account, admitting that she’d been given a free trip in exchange for posting about her experience on social media. She has since deleted the apology.
Demi’s photos — which remain on her account — include snaps of her taking in the sights of the country as well as a look at her being baptized in the River Jordan. She also included photos of her emotional visit to Jerusalem’s World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
