Kelsea Ballerini has certainly experienced some “ups” in 2024. In April, the “Peter Pan” singer hosted the CMT Awards for a fourth time. On Oct. 25, she dropped her highly-anticipated new album, Patterns, to rave reviews. Sadly, Ballerini received some devastating news about her beloved dog, Dibs, in August. And the 31-year-old Tennessean couldn’t keep from breaking down as she sang his name during a recent show.
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Kelsea Ballerini Fans Finish the Song For Her
In an Aug. 28 Instagram Story, Kelsea Ballerini shared a heartbreaking health update about her dog, Dibs. The adorable pup has “inoperable cancer in his heart.”
“It’s a complex and emotional time,” Ballerini wrote. “He’s been my baby and my steady for the last 9 years and very much alongside this whole journey with us all.”
[RELATED: Kelsea Ballerini Shares The Invaluable Advice She Received From Taylor Swift]
On Tuesday (Oct. 29), the Grammy-nominated country star took the stage in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. As her setlist drew to a close, Ballerini began singing “Penthouse” from her 2023 EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat.
Tears welled in the “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer’s eyes as she reached the line, I bought the house with a fence / Enough room for some kids, a backyard for Dibs.
Ballerini stepped back from the microphone as the sobs took over. “I need you to take this chorus for me,” she said through tears.
Fortunately, the crowd had her back, finishing out the chorus: And I thought that would make it all better, and maybe forever wouldn’t feel like the walls closing in / ‘Cause how does that even make sense? / Now that I think about it, it never did.
Dibs Is Named For Ballerini’s 2015 Single
Pets are incredibly special members of our families, and the grief that comes with knowing the end is near can feel insurmountable. That night, however, the audience’s love for Kelsea Ballerini overpowered the artist’s sadness.
brb crying over kelsea ballerini and dibs
— ⤜𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚒⤀ 💌 (@Dani_Dabbles) October 31, 2024
“Kelsea Ballerini crying for Dibs at MSG had me sobbing in my kitchen… nothing like loving a good dog,” one X/Twitter user wrote. “Always hug them.”
Ballerini announced Dibs’ adoption to her social media following back in 2015. She named him after her second-ever No. 1 single.
Featured image via TikTok
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