Ariana Grande's brother is comforted by fellow 'Big Brother' contestants after learning of the sad news of Grandpa Frank's passing.
- Jul 24, 2014
AceShowbiz - Frankie James Grande learned the sad news of his grandfather's death on "Big Brother". During the show's Live Feed on Wednesday, July 23, he received a letter from his family informing him that his grandfather Frank, who had been battling cancer, passed away on Tuesday.
Frankie's family urged him to stay in the competition as his sister Ariana Grande previously tweeted, "Asked grandps last week if he wanted us to pull frankie off bb & he said 'no way!' he's gotta play the game even tho i don't understand it." She watched the show when Frankie learnt of the sad news and took to Twitter to share her reaction, "Watching @frankiejgrande talk abt grandps after reading our letter on the live feed. sobbing / laughing hysterically. love u frankie so much."
Frankie was given the opportunity to grieve privately for the day, but he decided to be with the other houseguests and share the devastating news. He couldn't hold back tears while recalling his grandfather as "a fighter." The other contestants comforted him and hugged him.
Frankie later gave a heartfelt eulogy to pay tribute to his late grandfather. "My grandfather spent every day of his life fighting for his family ... He had dreams, he had ambitions, he had goals, and he worked his butt off every single day to get to that place, so that we were provided for," he wrote.
"I wanted to be my grandfather, that's all I've ever wanted to be in this life was to be my grandfather. I wanted to be him and I wanted him to be proud of me ... Everything I've ever done, I tried to do in his image."
"One of the strongest, greatest men to ever walk this Earth," he continued. "He survived cancer twice before succumbing to cancer. This is his third battle with cancer. He had colon cancer, survived. Stomach cancer, got 90 percent of his stomach removed, survived. 90 years old, diagnosed with stomach cancer again ... And some might say that this is a failure, this is the final battle that he didn't win, I don't look at it that way. Look at the legacy he left behind."
"I appreciate that he wanted me to stay here. I hope that you will all support my decision to stay here. And I hope that everyone that is watching this, you help support my family, because I can't do it right now," he stated, asking fans to support his sister as well.
He concluded it with, "Rest in peace, Frank Grande, one of the most remarkable men to ever live on this earth, and thank you for all that you taught me ... Thank you for being the greatest role model a grandson could ever have. ...Time to go win Big Brother."
