Justin Bieber is heartbroken after losing someone very special — his grandpa.
On Saturday, April 26, the 31-year-old singer shared a touching tribute on Instagram. Justin revealed that his maternal grandfather, Bruce Dale, passed away on Thursday, April 24, at the age of 80.
Posting a sweet throwback photo from 2009, Justin wrote, “Papa, I always took all ur money lol. I remember u specifically telling me, gramma gave u an allowance of 20 dollars for the WEEK! I would always convince you to spend on snacks at the hockey game on Friday nights. Reluctantly you always gave it to me.”
Justin listed their favorite treats too: “Corn nuts, skittles, gum balls, chuck a puck, slush puppies.” He laughed remembering how his grandpa would yell at the referees: “Shout out to the jr b referees Beatty, Fagon, Flanagan lmfao. For enduring all of my grandpa’s heckling for all of your horrible referee calls lmfao. My grandpa wasn’t shy in letting them know that they were being pieces of s—s.”
After sharing those funny memories, Justin ended his post with love and sadness: “I can’t wait to see u again soon in heaven. Until then I know ur watching down probly still heckling Beatty or Fagon for missing that cross check call in the corner there lmfao. I will miss u. I will ache. And I’ll sit and let myself remember all of the wonderful times we’ve had.”
The photo Justin picked shows him holding his grandpa’s face and smiling — taken just days before his first big album, My World, came out when he was 15 years old.
According to the obituary, Bruce Dale passed away at Rotary Hospice Stratford Perth in Ontario, Canada. He was married to Justin’s grandmother, Diane Dale, and had four kids, including Justin’s mom, Pattie Mallette. Bruce was also a grandfather to three and a great-grandfather to six, including Justin’s son, Jack Blues, whom he shares with wife Hailey Bieber.
Fans may remember Bruce Dale from Justin’s movies — he appeared in Never Say Never in 2011 and Justin Bieber: Seasons in 2020. Over the years, Bruce proudly cheered for Justin at concerts, movie premieres, and even his 2015 Comedy Central Roast.
In a 2018 interview at the Stratford Perth Museum, Bruce got emotional talking about Justin’s journey. He said he and Diane once drove eight hours to surprise Justin at one of his first shows. “He didn’t know we were coming,” Bruce recalled. When asked why he got emotional talking about his grandson, he simply said, “I don’t know. It just happens.”
Justin’s love for his “Papa” shines through in every word. It’s clear their bond was one-of-a-kind, and he’ll be carrying those memories forever.
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