It has surely been a cathartic week for Vanessa Hudgens. The actress, 27, performed her role as Rizzo in the highly anticipated production of Grease: Live on Fox. But she also lost her father, within a day of the musical, to stage 4 cancer.
As they say in the theater: The show must go on. And it did, with Hudgens heading out on stage and dedicating that night to her dad. (The program even wrapped on the same note, with final credits including the phrase: "In loving memory of Greg Hudgens. June 22, 1950 - January 30, 2016.")
But though Hudgens surely struggled to keep her mind in character, she pulled off a beautiful performance — and today, she's thanking her supporters for helping her through.
"I can't believe @gogrease is OVER! Grand opening and grand closing," she wrote on Twitter and Instagram Monday night. "Thank you to everyone who watched and supported me last night. Doing #greaselivewas one of the most incredible experiences and I'm so glad you guys liked it as much as I did. Till next time Rizz... #pinkladyforlife."