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Heartbreaking moment country star reveals his mother died just hours before his last show
Musician Billy Strings took the stage just hours after the death of his mother Debra Apostal on Friday, telling concertgoers 'that's what my mom would have wanted me to do.'
The bluegrass entertainer, 32, told fans in Lansing, Michigan that he was performing with a heavy heart on following Debra's unexpected passing.
'After our set we drove through the night and I finally fell asleep when we got parked her in Lexington, probably about 5:40 this morning or so,' said the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.
Strings, who has more than 902,000 Instagram followers, said he 'might have got three hours of sleep' and 'was in a deep sleep' when he received the tragic news from his spouse Ally Dale.
'My wife woke me up this morning and told me that my beautiful mother, Debra Apostal, passed away in her sleep,' he told the crowd.
The Gild the Lily artist described to the crowd what he did in the emotional moments after learning news of his mother's passing.
'I just put on my shoes and started walking,' Strings said. 'I walked until I saw this little country church and it was like a beacon, and I went there and knocked on the door and this kind lady let me in and she stayed with me and prayed with me for a while.'
Strings said he ultimately settled on taking the stage that evening because that what his 'mom would have wanted me to do.'
He added: 'She really loved this group of people. She loved you all so much and for the last couple of years were some of her happiest because a lot of you folks from here.
