Vanessa Hudgens Dedicates These Amazing Grease: Live Performances to Her Father

God bless you, Vanessa Hudgens.

The former High School Musical star shared very sad news with fans just hours before taking to the stage as Rizzo in Grease: Live on Fox last night: her dad passed away from cancer.

Vanessa Hudgens – “Look at Me I’m Sandra Dee”

Hudgens posted a message on Twitter about her father’s death, adding that she would do the show “in his honor” that evening.

And it’s very safe to say that Hudgens made her late parent proud, most notably with two standout performances.

As Rizzo, Hudgens was tasked with two solos, the first of which (above) featured her making fun of Julianne Hough’s very pure and innocent main character.

The second, “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,” was an emotional ballad that gave us a look inside Rizzo herself:

Vanessa Hudgens – “There Are Worse Things I Could Do”

The performances are impressive enough on their own (heck, Anna Kendrick wants to have sex with Hudgens as a result)… but they’re made even more so when you consider what Hudgens was going through at the time.

“Imagine you had Vanessa Hudgens’ day, and doing that. What a superhero. In total awe,” Tweeted Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda in response.

And he was far from alone in his praise:

Austin Butler: WOW @VanessaHudgens singing ‘Worst Things’ had me in tears. Just brilliant.

Demi Lovato: My prayers are with @VanessaHudgens today.. You are one strong, and admirable woman.

Ashley Tisdale: I wouldn’t expect anything less @VanessaHudgens is killing it! So proud of my girl.

And after all the hand-jiving and grease lightnings were over and done with, Fox concluded its three-hour performance with a dedication to Hudgens’ father, Greg.

Sad, but perfect, right?

Here’s a look at the most memorable moments from a great production:

View Slideshow: Grease Live: The Best, Most GIF-Tastic Moments!

Anna Kendrick: I Want to Bang the Entire Cast of Grease Live!

We already knew Anna Kendrick is awesome, and we figured Grease: Live would be pretty cool, but we had no idea how fabulous the combination of those two things could be.

No, Kendrick didn’t take the stage to hand-jive with the rest of the cast (except in our dreams), but she did live-tweet the entire broadcast, and her critiques are as hilariously NSFW as you could hope.

Kendrick’s live tweets are always a joy, but she was particularly on point last night. Some highlights:

• “This is the role @juliannehough’s ass was born to play #GreaseLive”


• “This is so much fun, it’s almost upsetting. #ColdDeadHeart #GreaseLive”


• “You’re right Sandy, never having an orgasm IS hard #GreaseLive”


• “This ‘nerd girl’ is like me in high school. Except hotter and less annoying #GreaseLive”


• “Yeah… this gorgeous blonde is such a loser… (this high school is weird) #GreaseLive”


• “I would sleep with literally every member of this cast #GreaseLive”

And of course, Anna capped things off with a sincere shout-out to the entire cast, including Vanessa Hudgens, who lost her father to cancer just hours before the performance.

“Everyone was incredible tonight,” Kendrick tweeted. “Well done @juliannehough @VanessaHudgens @AaronTveit the whole cast and the CREW! #GreaseLive”

Well done, indeed. Check out some of the most show’s most memorable moments in GIF form in the gallery below:

View Slideshow: Grease Live: The Best, Most GIF-Tastic Moments!

Grease Live: The Best, Most GIF-Tastic Moments!

Grease: Live was the word on Fox on Sunday night, January 31.

The production, which starred Julianne Hough and Aaron Tveit in lead roles Sandy and Danny, was a major hit for the network, dominating the Twitter conversation and mostly receiving rave reviews.

Did you miss it? Did you catch it and wish to relive all the best moments once again in GIF form?

Good. Let"s do this!

1. Those Summer Nights

It all started with a memorable summer kiss on a memorable summer night. Tell you more, tell you more? Sure, no problem!

2. Grease was the Word

This opening number kicked off the show in grand fashion.

3. Do It, Danny!

Thse hip thrusts may make it hard for you to get any work done today.

4. Time to Rule the School

And wiggle those hips, Vanessa Hudgens!

5. Hough Stuff

If dancing, singing and acting all fail for Julianne Hough, she could always go into cheerleading.

6. This Was New

And the song was also great. Who would have guessed?

View Slideshow

Vanessa Hudgens Loses Dad to Cancer, Dedicates Grease Performance to Him

Just hours before a professional milestone, Vanessa Hudgens has suffered a great personal loss:

The actress’ father, Greg Hudgens, has passed away from cancer. He was 65 years old.

The 27-year-old High School Musical alum relayed the sad news to fans and followers on Twitter Sunday morning.

“I am so sad to say that last night my daddy, Greg passed away from stage 4 cancer,” Hudgens wrote. “Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers.”

The star had revealed her dad’s unfortunate diagnosis last August.

“Last year, my boyfriend Austin lost his mom Lori to cancer, and my dad has just been recently diagnosed with stage four cancer,” Hudgens said at the time.

“Let me tell you, I hate cancer. I hate cancer with every cell of my being.”

Hudgens, of course, was cast as Rizzo in Fox’s live production of Grease, which airs tonight at 7/6c.

In regard to that performance, she added on social media:

“Tonight, I do the show in his honor.”

In addition to the actress, Greg Hudgens is survived by her mother and his wife, Gina Hudgens, along with Vanessa’s 20-year-old sister Stella Hudgens.

We send our condolences to Vanessa and her loved ones.

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016