Ariana Grande has used her Instagram and Twitter feeds to craft what constitutes an emotional good-bye to her grandfather, who passed away on Tuesday.

This morning Grande announced that her grandfather had lost his battle with cancer and thanked her fans for their support throughout his illness: “thank you for your continuous love & light over the past few weeks… we did lose my favorite person to ever exist yesterday, my grandpa.”

The singer and Sam & Cat star pulled herself together long enough to appear on Good Morning America this morning alongside Ryan Seacrest. The two were promoting the upcoming iHeart Radio Festival at which Grande will perform among a line-up that includes Cold Play, One Direction, Paramore, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and Usher.

Grande looked like she was having a hard time keeping a smile on her face during the interview.

Via Twitter, she told her fans that the “only reason I made this twelve hour trip is grandps told me he wanted me to always be professional & fulfill my business commitments.”

if only y'all knew how amazing he was.. my heart hurts so much. It's beyond broken :'( but I got to hold his hand and watch him find his peace

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 23, 2014

this is the hardest thing imaginable but I'm so grateful that I got to spend this time with him & my family. taking care of him & loving him

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 23, 2014

Grande, a frequent tweeter who interacts heavily with her fans on the social network, has been keeping the world updated on the status of her grandfather’s health for a while now.

my heart!!… he is an inspiration & a fighter. if he can do THIS at his age…we can conquer anything… keep doing it grandps. we love u!!

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 6, 2014

@bocasmiracle the update is his cancer is at bay but the treatment (chemo + radiation) really took a toll on him… he's havin a lil trouble

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 3, 2014

Just before the July 4 holiday Grande flew from New York to her hometown of Boca Raton, Florida to be at her grandfather’s side.

grandps <3 pic.twitter.com/omSChmXod0

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 4, 2014

grandpa's chilly feet bundled up by me in about a thousand blankets pic.twitter.com/hHjwPv9Uxy

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 5, 2014

love u grandps i need u please pull thru

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 5, 2014

gonna try my best to put my selfishness aside thru this… as much as i want grandps here with me.. i should just want him to be comfortable

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 5, 2014

wish u knew how incredible he is…. humble, respectful, hardworking, polite, thoughtful, humorous, generous. an example for all gentlemen

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 5, 2014

on the most terrible sleeping schedule… gonna read & try to fall asleep so I can wake up at a decent time for grandps. goodnight luvs

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 7, 2014

grandps sat with me while I did my phone interviews this morning & got particularly excited when I got to speak to Italy! sweetest

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 18, 2014

Grande’s brother Frankie is currently a contestant on Big Brother. She said her grandfather didn’t want Frankie to leave the show in order to spend time with him in his final weeks:

thank u for the prayers. my loves u are so powerful… u are in my heart. i wish Frankie were here. grandpa said "no he gotta win the game!"

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) July 5, 2014

Image via Instagram, Ariana Grande