Dave Matthews is in mourning.
The singer-songwriter‘s mother, Valerie Anne Matthews, has died after a battle with Alzheimer’s illness. She was 89.
Valerie handed away on Sunday, Feb. 9, at her house in Charlottesville, Virginia, based on her on-line obituary printed Tuesday.
“Val’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild were able to gather around her in the days leading up to her death,” the obituary revealed. “It was a time of great sadness but also one of joy, filled with laughter and music and stories. Val’s kindness, graciousness and humor shone through to the end. Her family will always treasure this time together.”
Dave and his brother, Peter, alongside along with his sister, Jane, had been at their mom’s bedside when she died, TMZ reported on Wednesday.
The outlet added that Valerie was positioned in hospice care after her well being quickly declined earlier this 12 months resulting from “natural causes.” The sudden change led Matthews to drop out of the FireAid profit live performance only a day earlier than it occurred in Los Angeles on Jan. 30. In a Jan. 29 announcement posted on the Dave Matthews Band’s Instagram, the group cited “a critical illness in the family” as the explanation for the cancellation.
Born on Might 11, 1935, in Potchefstroom, South Africa, to a geologist and an artist, Valerie went on to earn a level in structure on the College of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
In 1961, Val, as she was recognized to her buddies, married John Matthews, and collectively they moved to Charlottesville with their kids — Dave, Peter, Anne and Jane — after his work introduced him to the College of Virginia. They had been married for 15 years earlier than John handed away from Hodgkin’s lymphoma on the age of 45.
In 1994, Valerie confronted one other devastating loss when her daughter Anne, 29, was tragically killed by her husband, who later took his personal life, forsaking their two younger kids.
“Although devastated by Anne’s death, Val stepped into the breach, gaining custody of her grandchildren and bringing them back to Charlottesville, where they were embraced by extended family,” her obit learn. “Val did not allow tragedy or grief to define her. She rejoiced in family and friends, and delighted in simple pleasures.”
The announcement continued, “In the final years of her life, Val was cared for in her home by a devoted team of caregivers. Val’s family will be forever grateful to this remarkable group of women for their selflessness, diligence, humor, and love, and for the grace and dignity they afforded Val as she battled Alzheimers Disease.”
Valerie was employed on the agency Hayward, Llorens, and Boyd till her retirement in 1994. She had a deep appreciation for nature, poetry, and watercolor portray, as famous in her obituary.
“Val was a passionate advocate for peace, environmental conservation, marriage equality, and women’s rights, never afraid to use her voice,” her obituary said. “She spoke out against racism, bigotry, and small-mindedness through social activism and frequent letters to the editor.”
Valerie is survived by Dave and his spouse Ashley, son Peter and his spouse Kathleen, daughter Jane and her husband Sam, six grandchildren and one great-grandson, Freddie.
She was predeceased by her first husband John, daughter Ashley and her second husband, Lee Strait, who died in 2000 after a stroke. Valerie and Strait married in 1991.
