Miley Cyrus Mourns Death of ‘The Voice’ Alum Janice Freeman
Miley Cyrus has been left reeling from news that The Voice alum Janice Freeman died at age 33.
The "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" singer addressed Freeman's death on Instagram, thanking her for all that she did on the show and beyond. She shared a photo of a rainbow on her Instagram Story, writing that it "perfectly" represented Freeman.
"Thank you @janicefreeman.. for everything," Cyrus, 26, wrote. "This represents you perfectly."
TMZ broke the news of Freeman's passing, reporting that the singer was in her home in Pasadena, California when she died. She reportedly complained to husband Dion that she was having trouble breathing. The outlet reported that Dion called 911 and performed CPR on Freeman until paramedics arrived. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital at around 5:30 p.m. local on Saturday, TMZ reported.
Freeman competed on Cyrus' team on The Voice during season 13. According to TMZ, she battled lupus, cervical cancer and meningitis previously. She reportedly recently beat the cancer.
She spoke openly about Cyrus' impact on her life in the past, tweeting that Cyrus was one of her "closest friends." Freeman said the award winning musician helped her and her family find a place to live while they looked for a permanent home.
"Thank you ALL but she found us placement until we found permanent housing, gave me the deposit, covered me for 6 months so I can get on my feet!," Freeman tweeted. "@MileyCyrus you are one of my closest friends and what you did for me and my family I'm praying GOD gives you the desire of your heart!"
The same day, Freeman did an Instagram Live in which she got emotional speaking about Cyrus, according to Us Weekly. She called Cyrus her "dawg," adding that she was "overwhelmed" by her support.
"Miley, you are my dawg, like my best friend, and I will defend you to the bitter end," she said, nearly crying, according to the outlet. "You got somebody that got your back. I'm so overwhelmed and I need y'all to understand that it is time to go into 2018 believing God for real. Y'all don't understand that you see these people on TV....but you don't understand that these people are real. Her heart is so huge and she allows God to user her to bless my life."
Freeman leaves behind a husband and daughter.