Country

‘American Idol’ Alum Scotty McCreery Shares Devastating Family News: ‘I Am Still in a Bit of Shock’

Janet Hunter Cooke and Paquita McCreery were 85 and 93, respectively.

Getty / Jason Kempin

Scotty McCreery is mourning the loss of both of his grandmothers after their deaths on the same exact day.

The American Idol alum, 31, took to Instagram Thursday to announce that his maternal grandmother, Janet Hunter Cooke, and his paternal grandmother, Paquita McCreery, had both passed away the day before at ages 85 and 93, respectively.

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โ€œMy heart is absolutely broken. Yesterday, both my Grandma Janet and my Grandma Paquita passed away,โ€ Scotty wrote alongside a photo with his late grandmothers from his 2018 wedding to wife Gabi McCreery. โ€œI think I am still in a bit of shock as I type this, but Iโ€™m choosing to remember the great memories we all made with both of them.โ€

โ€œThere really are too many to count. From being on the farm in Elizabeth City or visiting the Outer Banks with Grandma Janet,โ€ the country singer continued. โ€œAnd then the incredible memories we made at the backyard pool in Pinehurst, all the way to visiting Puerto Rico with Grandma Paquita.โ€

โ€œBoth of them truly taught me what love is all about,โ€ the “You Time” artist wrote. โ€œI will miss them dearly. If yall could keep my family in your prayers Iโ€™d appreciate it.โ€

Both of McCreery’s parents paid tribute in their own social media posts, with his mother, Judy Cooke, revealing that her mother had been “battling norovirus & the flu, which led to dehydration and pneumonia” before her death. “My heart is broken. I have to accept it was her time,” she wrote onย Facebook, adding that losing her mother-in-law just a few hours later was “hard to fathom.”

McCreery’s father, Mike McCreery, wrote on Instagram Thursday, “A difficult post to make, but yesterday just before 4pm my wonderful mother Paquita passed away.” He continued, “I will miss my mother tremendously, but she lived a full life in her 93 years. I have so many wonderful memories that I can draw from when I get sad that she is no longer physically here with us, but I know I will see her again one day.โ€

โ€œAs if that was not enough, we also lost Judyโ€™s mom Janet a few hours earlier just after 1pm,โ€ Mike added of the death of his mother-in-law. โ€œShe was a wonderful woman and Iโ€™m thankful for the 40 years I had with her and all the support she gave me. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we navigate through this time.โ€