Demi Lovato Dad Death: 'I Wish There Was Something I Could Have Done,' She Says
In the wake of her father's death, Demi Lovato is honoring his memory.
"My dad suffered from mental illnesses," she told E! News in an interview published on Wednesday. "He was suffering so bad that he couldn't function in society normally and he couldn't get the help that he needed. So, when he passed away, I thought to myself, 'I wish there was something I could have done.'"
The singer realized it's never too late. She is now working with a recover program called CAST to treat individuals suffering from mental illness. The 20-year-old singer decided to start The Lovato Treatment Scholarship to help others who may be suffering from untreated illnesses the way her father was for years.
"I didn't have the best relationship with him and for so many years I was mad at him, but when he passed away I realized none of it was even his fault. He had mental illnesses," she said.
In her 2011 song For The Love of A Daughter, Lovato opened up about her relationship with her father and sings that he is "selfish" and "hopeless." In the song she also pleads with her father to "put the bottle down" and sings that she hadn't spoken to her father in five years.
Now, through the program, Lovato will pay for the treatment of one patient at a time. The current X Factor judge explained that treatment is very expensive regardless of the type. Individuals seeking help are asked to email their story to CAST so a person in need can be chosen.
"I wanna be there providing that service because I didn't get the chance to do it with my dad and I wanna make it up to him now that he's looking over me," she added.
Details regarding the death of her father haven't been released.
