Jennifer Nettles Shares Sweet Tribute To Her Father

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While Father's Day is usually a joyous occasion to celebrate dear old dad, it can be a bittersweet holiday for folks who have lost their fathers. Jennifer Nettles used the holiday weekend to share the sad news that her father died in May.

In a post shared to her official Instagram account, the Sugarland singer and Righteous Gemstones actress revealed that her father, Johnnie "Beamon" Nettles died on May 14, 2022  at Colquitt Regional Medical Center in Ashburn, Georgia. "I'm often private about certain sacred pieces of my life and I share them as, and if, I am ready," Nettles wrote in the caption accompanying a video. "My daddy, Beamon Nettles, died last month on May 14th. He was a precious, quiet soul who made his way gently in the world. And it is so strange and unreal that he is not here."

He was 69-years-old, according to an obituary for him published by Douglas Now, a local newspaper from Nettles' hometown of Douglas, Georgia., and shared by Wide Open Country.

To honor her father's memory, Nettles performed Merle Haggard's "The Way I Am". "This song was his favorite song," she wrote in the caption. "I have a vivid memory of him playing it on 45, singing along as I fell asleep at my grandmother's ("Boo-ma") house. Nettles noted that she sang the song at his funeral, a private service that was held on May 19.

"Happy Father's Day Daddy. You are loved and missed," Nettles wrote, before reminding us all to "Hold your Loves close." Wise words, indeed.