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“Dancing With the Stars” cast member Jana Kramer shared some sad news with her followers — she lost her beloved grandfather Jim Kauffman on July 20. She honored his memory with a beautiful post on Instagram.
Here is what Jana wrote:
She is Asking for Prayers for Her Grandmother
In an emotional Instagram post, the “Dancing With the Stars” season 23 semi-finalist wrote that her grandfather Jim died and she is asking her fans to please pray for her grandmother who just lost “her love of 72 years.”
Jana wrote:
Heaven has a new angel. My grandpa, Jim Kauffman. Our hearts are broken. Please pray for my beautiful grandma @margekauffmann who said goodbye to her love of 72 years this morning… and all of my family. We didn’t know if he was going to make it to the 4th of July but he hung in there for all of us to be around him one last time… To kiss and hug him one last time.I know we are all forever grateful that God gave us those final memories with him… And then he took him home.
She went on to say that her grandpa was “the funniest man [she’s] ever met.”
“He would have us laughing until we cried at the campfire with his jokes and stories. He was the euchre king and taught me everything I know about that game. He was a tough man, but he loved my grandma since 4th grade. Thanks for all the love you gave us, grandpa,” wrote Jana.
She also said that “no one will ever be able to make stuffing as good as [he did] on Thanksgiving,” and she finished the post by writing, “I hope you are playing all the euchre and cribbage in heaven, with a beer and a shot of whiskey on the side. Rest in Peace Grandpa. We love you so much.”
Jana’s Famous Friends Were Full of Condolences
In the comments, her famous friends were full of condolences and love for the singer and actress about the passing of her grandfather.
Jana’s ex-husband, actor Johnathon Schaech, penned a heartfelt message, writing, “Your grandpa was an angel. He was so proud of your successes. He loved you so much. Big hugs.”
Actress Faith Ford wrote, “So sorry, Jana. Sending my love & prayers to you, your grandma & the rest of your family.”
Mario Lopez, Cassie DiLaura, Priscilla Frederick, Max Lugavere, Michael Rosenbaum, Jennifer Wayne, Josh Beech, Loni Love, Angela Lanter, and Jed Wyatt also left messages for Jana.
It has been a tumultuous past year for Jana. She underwent a public divorce from her husband Mike Caussin amid, claiming he was unfaithful. She also had to respond to her ex-boyfriend Ian Schinelli’s report that she told him she had an affair with her “Dancing With the Stars” partner Gleb Savchenko during their time on the show, when she and Mike were separated, but Gleb was still married.
“Jana has admitted to me that she slept with two guys while Mike was in rehab. She slept with Gleb,” Schinelli told Us Weekly. “She justified it saying, ‘We were legally separated.’”
Jana and Mike filed for divorce in April 2021; they share two children, a daughter named Jolie and a son named Jace. In an Instagram post on July 23, she reflected on the past year, writing, “I remember getting the inevitable call that our divorce was final and being broken… and truthfully, I stayed that way for awhile putting bandaids on my heart. It wasn’t until I looked within and did the hard work that I started to heal.”
Gleb categorically denied the affair, telling “Entertainment Tonight” they “absolutely [did] not” have an affair.
“Have we ever had anything? Absolutely not. Absolutely no,” said Gleb, adding that maybe Kramer told Schianelli that to make him jealous.
“Whatever she might have said to her boyfriend, maybe she tried to make him jealous, you could ask her the same question, she’d probably answer the same thing,” said the professional dancer. “I just feel a little sad that he had to go that way and say something like that.”
“Dancing With the Stars” returns for its 31st season this fall on Disney Plus.
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