Justin Timberlake is mourning the death of his longtime backup singer, Nicole Hurst.
The vocalist passed away last week at age 39, and Justin took to social media to pay tribute.
“My heart is so heavy. We lost a beautiful soul this week,” he wrote, along with a series of photos and videos of times he shared with Hurst. “Nicole lit up every room she walked into. On and off the stage she was a constant source of joy and positivity.”
Justin continued, “Some things feel so unfair and we will never understand why they happen. What I do know is that we were blessed to laugh with her, to travel with her, and to experience her infectious smile and love for a life filled with music.”
“Nicole, it’s not enough to say that I am going to miss you dearly,” he wrote. “Thank you for your light. I will do my best to carry that with me. I love you, my sister. Forever family and forever a TN Kid.”
Hurst’s cause of death was not yet released, though she had battled cancer. In 2013, she revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer and by 2015 was in remission. But in 2019, she shared that the cancer had returned and had spread to her brain.
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