Faith Hill Speaks Out About Mom’s Death at 80: I’m Glad She’s ‘No Longer Suffering’

Faith Hill (Photo by Noam Galai/WireImage)
Faith Hill (Photo: Noam Galai/WireImage)

Faith Hill’s heart is aching today after burying her mother, Edna Perry, who adopted her as an infant.

“As you may have heard, my mom passed away on Sunday and was laid to rest this morning,” the country singer, who is married to Tim McGraw, shared on Instagram along with a photo of her late mom. “While this is a difficult time for our family, we rejoice in knowing that she is in Heaven and no longer suffering. Thank you all for the kind words and prayers.”

Edna, who was 80 years old, passed away at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Miss. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Ted, and Faith’s two brothers, Wesley and Steve. The obituary listed Faith by her birth name, Audrey, and Tim by his, Samuel.

Edna, who was a bank teller, and Ted, a factory worker, were raising their two biological sons when they adopted the future country superstar in 1967 when she was just days old. Speaking of her childhood to Larry King in 2006, Hill said, “I actually had a pretty amazing childhood. My family, my mom and my dad and my brothers, they are amazing, very stable, good Christian, God-fearing home, and a great small town of Star, Mississippi. I actually had a really stable childhood.”

While Faith eventually connected with her birth mom (and another brother), it was Edna and Ted whom she credited for giving her a solid foundation in life.

“I was placed into an incredible home that … basically is responsible for the way I am today and the backbone that I have in order to do this for a living, which is a crazy, sometimes unstable world that this projects,” she told King. “But the most important thing to me is about my family and that was definitely taught from my mom and dad.”

Hill also told ABC News‘ Robin Roberts in 2011 that her parents led a simple life and encouraged her music. Last Thanksgiving, Faith sweetly shared a recipe for Edna’s Cornbread Dressing, which is “one of my favorite dishes to make,” she noted.

The Grammy winner went on to have three daughters — Gracie, Maggie, and Audrey — with McGraw, with whom she recently celebrated her 20th anniversary. And if Faith and Maggie’s recent cross-country road trip is any indication, the special bond between mom and daughters continues.

Hill and McGraw recently announced their upcoming Soul2Soul II tour. On Wednesday, he will perform at the CMA Awards.