Michael Bublé has experienced some physical pain on his current world tour thanks to dental mishaps but that's nothing compared to the emotional pain the singer endured as he persevered through a show Sunday evening in Milwaukee where he learned his grandmother died prior to taking the stage.
Bublé described it onstage as "the hardest performance I've ever done."
According to Pollstar the singer made the announcement just before the show's conclusion at the Bradley Center.
"My grandmother, who raised me like a mom...today we lost her," said Bublé, fighting back tears. "I didn't know what to do. But I know what my grandmother would want. I know she wouldn't want me to cancel. She'd want me to come out and do the show and smile and do what she supported me doing." The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports the shocked crowd responded with "cries of 'we love you' and supportive applause."
The singer then closed the concert with his grandmother's favorite song, the standard "I Wish You Love" with his musical director Alan Chang on piano. As shown in a YouTube clip above, Bublé is clearly battling his emotions through the song before, looking downward and skyward through the lyrics. Bublé then blows a kiss, takes a bow and walks back to the stage curtain.
Earlier in the day Bublé tweeted the following:
Comparing the Twitter photo to a wedding photo from Popcrunch.com it appears Bublé's grandmother's name was Yolanda Santaga.
Bublé is slated to perform tonight in Cincinnati and Wednesday evening in Memphis. There's no word yet if either concert will be postponed due to his grandmother's passing or possible funeral arrangements.
