Vanessa Hudgens paid tribute to her late dad, Greg, on Father’s Day. The Powerless actress penned a sweet note and posted a throwback photo of the two.
“Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. And To all of you who still have your pops around, cherish him,” Hudgens, 28, wrote on Sunday, June 18. “You never know how long they’ll have on this planet. Don’t take things for granted. Open your heart and love generously. Missing you dad.”
The former Disney star’s dad passed away from stage 4 cancer in January. Hudgens played Rizzo in Fox’s Grease: Live just days later.
“Tonight, I do the show in his honor,” she tweeted at the time. A source told Us that going on to perform was “incredibly hard for her, but she’s a true entertainer, so it was on with the show.”
The following month, the High School Musical alum posted an emotional message on Instagram. “I wish heaven had visiting hours,” the post read.
Vanessa’s longtime boyfriend, actor Austin Butler, supported her throughout the whole ordeal. Butler’s mom, Lori, died from cancer in September 2014. “He was by [Vanessa’s] side nonstop,” a second source told Us in February. “And having been through the same situation with his mom, he was very understanding.”