DWTS’ Derek & Julianne Hough’s Family Mourn a Terrible Loss

Getty The Hough Family

“Dancing With the Stars” siblings and pros-turned-judges Derek Hough and Julianne Hough are mourning a terrible loss in their family — Derek announced on his Instagram on March 2 that their grandfather has died.

Derek Hough Shared a Photo of Himself & His Grandpa and Wrote, ‘Rest in peace, Gpa’

Alongside a photo of himself with his grandfather, Derek Hough wrote, “Rest in peace, Gpa.”

Based on Derek and Julianne’s mother Marriann’s Instagram post from New Year’s Eve 2022, it was her father who died. She captioned that video, “Loving our Daddy Grandpa and Momma Grandma… Happy Memories Happy New Year… love is the best! Wahooo.”

The middle Hough sibling, Katherine, also posted a tribute to their grandpa on Instagram with a video montage of him. She wrote, “I love you so much gramps! You’ll be missed but I know your now home and healthy! Give my love Tony a big hug from me, you’ll love him! Have him play the guitar for you, and I sure he’ll crack you up at some point as well. You’ve been such an amazing example of hard work and resilience and you had the kindest heart. Love you.”

This is the second death the family has experienced in just a few weeks. The Tony Katherine is referencing is her late husband, Tony Schnur. He died on Valentine’s Day 2023. At the time, Katherine wrote on Instagram, “My love, my soulmate, my best friend, I love you always and forever. I’ll never forget all the amazing memories, all the laughs, and just the special times we were just in each other’s presence saying nothing. I’m truly going to be lost without you. We shared a love that people dream of. To hurt this much is to only know I loved you this much. Im going to miss you with all my being! You are my one and only, my one true love but I know I’ll see you again. You fought hard babe and you were an inspiration to us all, we all love you so much and I know you are at peace now but gone way to soon! I love you babe, my love, my thick44 Always and Forever.”

Based on a previous post of hers, Katherine’s husband died from cancer.

The Hough Family Has 5 Children

Derek and Julianne are the two youngest of five Hough siblings. In late February, Derek posted a rare photo of all the ladies plus his fiancee Hayley Erbert together during their family reunion captioned, “Five blondes and a brunette walk into a bar.”

Derek affectionally calls his family “the blonde squad.”

The Hough family got together in February to celebrate Derek and Julianne’s mother Mariann’s birthday. Julianne posted several reels to her Instagram of the celebration and both of the siblings’ Instagram stories were full of clips of them all doing yoga together and other family activities.

The five Hough siblings born to Marriann and Bruce Hough are (in order from oldest to youngest) Sharee, 45, Marabeth, 43, Katherine, 40, Derek, 37 and Julianne, 34.

The Houghs also have stepsiblings from their parents’ second marriages. Bruce married his wife Debra in 2000 and Marriann married her husband Aaron in 1998.

According to an article in the Las Vegas Review Journal, Marriann married financial consultant Aaron Nelson in 1998 and they blended her five children with his four from a previous marriage and needed an enormous house where all 11 of them could live.

“All we wanted was to get a big enough house for nine children,” Marriann said in the article about putting the Houghs’ childhood home up for sale.