Country singer Walker Hayes and his wife, Laney, are mourning the loss of their daughter. She died just days before her June 8 due date.
“It is with great sadness that Laney and I share with you the news that our sweet Oakleigh Klover Hayes was born this morning at the hospital and now is safely in heaven,” wrote the 38-year-old musician in a Thursday, June 7, statement on Twitter. “Thank you for honoring our privacy as we grieve.”
Oakleigh is survived by six siblings: three boys and three girls.
Hayes, who is best known for his hit “You Broke Up With Me,” revealed in November that he and Laney were expecting their seventh child. “My kids are losing their minds excited,” he gushed to Taste of Country about the pregnancy. His oldest, Leila, “cried because she was so happy about having a new brother or sister.”
Hayes later shared with the country outlet that he and Laney were hoping for a home birth. “We’ve almost had a couple in the car, and I’m not the guy you want to have a kid in the car with,” he quipped. “I’m pretty chill, but once with starts, I go the opposite of chill.”
The Mobile, Alabama, native and Laney grew up together and began dating their junior year of high school. “Our line of communication has been a wide open highway since the moment I met her,” he gushed to Rare Country in February. “We can talk for hours all the time. I feel like we tell each other everything, and that’s who you want to be with for the rest of you life.”
Hayes has canceled all of his upcoming appearances to be home with his family.
