Bluegrass musician Billy Strings is mourning the loss of his mother, Debra Apostal.
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The 32-year-old announced during a Friday performance in Lexington, Kentucky, that his mother had passed away just hours after his hometown show in Lansing, Michigan, at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival on Thursday.
“After our set, we drove through the night, and I finally fell asleep when we got parked here in Lexington, probably about 5:40 this morning or so. I might have got three hours of sleep, and I was in a deep sleep,” Strings said on stage, per PEOPLE. “My wife woke me up this morning and told me that my beautiful mother, Debra Apostal, passed away in her sleep.
“I just put my shoes on and started walking,” the “Dust in a Baggie” singer added. “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.”
Billy Strings Urged the Audience to Honor His Late Mother in a Unique Way
Strings explained why he decided to continue the performance after her death. “It was, it was my decision to carry on with tonight’s show because that’s what my mom would have wanted me to do.”
“She really loved this group of people,” he added. “She loved you all so much, and for the last couple of years were some of her happiest because of a lot of you folks from here. You all became some of our best friends, and I really want to thank you for that.”
Strings then asked a favor of the assembled crowd.
“So please, instead of a moment of silence… can you please make as much noise right now for my mom?”
Strings’ father, Terry Barber, a bluegrass musician, joined him onstage at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival on Thursday, while his mother was not at the show, according to the Lansing State Journal.
Apostal passed away early Friday, according to the outlet.