Demi Lovato opened up about the passing of her biological father, Patrick Lovato, during her interview with Good Morning America.
“I’m handling it okay, my father and I didn’t have the most ideal relationship,” she explained, when asked by host Robin Roberts. “But at the end of the day, he’s still my dad …he’s a wonderful person. It’s difficult…I’m handling it okay.”
Patrick died over the weekend after a longtime battle with cancer, CNN confirms. Lovato also revealed that her father struggled with a mental illness prior to his death.
"I've dealt with mental illness. My father dealt with mental illness,” she explained. “He wasn't able to function very well in society." The X Factor judge informed that she is now teaming up with Cast Recovery to help others struggling with mental illness, a topic all too familiar for her.
"I'm working with Cast Recovery, a treatment center I've worked really, really closely with, and I have trust in their program," she explained. Lovato has set up a scholarship program in honor of her father called the “Lovato Treatment Scholarship,” She explains that the scholarship program is set up “to help one person at a time pay for mental illness treatment."
Check out her full interview on GMA in the video below:
Image: ABC