Who are Grace VanderWaal’s parents? Singer mourns mom Tina as she dies from cancer

Tina VanderWaal, America's Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal's mother passed away on October 20, after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Tina's husband, Dave VanderWaal shared the news of her passing in a Facebook post dated October 21.

"Remembering the beautiful life and love of our amazing Tina 💖 It’s hard to find the words to adequately express our family sorrow, but I want to share the sad news that our beloved Tina VanderWaal —"Superwife" and Mother "extraordinaire" — passed over to the Lord’s hands last night, October 20. She was a fighter to the end of her long, 17-month battle with cancer, always finding a positive outlook no matter what — for herself and, even more importantly, for others facing the same difficult journey," he wrote.

Dave further shared that he and Tina were married for 27 years and welcomed three children, Jacob, Olivia and Grace.

"Tina truly was the heart of our family, filling our lives with creativity, laughter, and love. Whether she was designing beautiful jewelry, teaching others to discover their creative spirit, or making every holiday and family moment special, she brought light and joy to everything she touched," he added.

Dave continued:

"While our hearts ache, I take comfort in knowing that Tina is now in Heaven — her bright, shining light still guiding us. I know we’ll see her again one day. Until then, we’ll hold tight to the love, joy, and beauty she gave us. She was a laser beam of light to all who knew her. Holding Tina’s beam of light in our hearts always, Dave, Jakob, Olivia, and Grace."

According to his LinkedIn, Dave VanderWaal serves as a senior marketing consultant at VW Marketing Consultants. He has an extensive background in marketing and holds a Bachelor of Science, Marketing, Advertising and a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Marketing from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Meanwhile, according to Tina's Instagram bio, she was a "silversmith and glass artist living on a beautiful barrier island off the coast of South Carolina."

She was candid about her cancer journey on social media and recently shared a video explaining she had finished her second radiation treatment.

"Radiation 2 done… 8 more to go! #thepoweroflove," Tina captioned the post.

In a fundraising page called Pledge The Pink Fundraising, she shared that she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in June 2024.

"Can’t yet find the words": Grace VanderWaal on her mother's passing

"Can’t yet find the words. I love you mommy. So much. I wake up and want to call you. I don’t know how to move forward without you. I love you," she wrote.

Meanwhile, in an essay published in Teen Vogue on April 8, 2025, Grace praised her mother, describing her as the "funniest, most loudest, most just everything woman. You'll hear her laugh watching the TV from three floors up."

"As I was experiencing this early success, this viral fame, I felt like I was in control, but there are a lot of environmental variables that people don’t take into account. My mom was with me everywhere I went," Grace added.

Stay tuned for more updates.