Justin Timberlake has taken to social media to pay tribute to his longtime backup singer, Nicole Hurst, following her death at the age of 39.
Posting a series of videos and snaps to Instagram, Justin wrote: “My heart is so heavy. We lost a beautiful soul this week. Nicole lit up every room she walked into. On and off the stage she was a constant source of joy and positivity.
Timberlake continued, “Some things feel so unfair and we will never understand why they happen. What I do know is that we were blessed to laugh with her, to travel with her, and to experience her infectious smile and love for a life filled with music. Nicole, it’s not enough to say that I am going to miss you dearly.
“Thank you for your light. I will do my best to carry that with me. I love you, my sister. Forever family and forever a TN Kid.”
Among slides were videos of Timberlake and Hurst on tour with the Tennessee Kids, including a clip of Hurst being serenaded with “Happy Birthday” backstage.
While no cause of death was disclosed, Hurst had previously spoken out about battling breast cancer.
In August 2019, she revealed it came back after remission and spread to her brain.
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“I was diagnosed with Stage 2 triple-positive breast cancer,” she told ABC 13 Houston in 2015, revealing that she had been diagnosed in July 2013 ahead of the Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour tour with Timberlake and JAY-Z.
She added: “I had four months of chemo followed by my surgery which I had a mastectomy. Even while I was on chemotherapy my tumour doubled in size.
“I was in the bathroom on the floor like bawling my eyes out and I was like, ‘I don’t know why I’m going through this Lord but I trust you. I trust that you are going to get me through this.’
“Mentally I told myself, you’ve got to get through this because you’ve got to get back on the road,” she said.
Our thoughts are with family and friends of Hurst.
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