Heartbreaking moment country star reveals his mother died just hours before his last show

Musician Billy Strings took the stage at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival Friday just hours after the death of his mother Debra Apostal.

The bluegrass entertainer, 32, informed fans in Lexington, Kentucky that he was performing with a heavy heart on following Debra’s unexpected passing, telling concertgoers ‘that’s what my mom would have wanted me to do.’

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter added: ‘After our set we drove through the night and I finally fell asleep when we got parked her in Lexington, probably about 5:40 this morning or so.’

Strings, who has more than 902,000 Instagram followers, said he ‘might have got three hours of sleep’ and ‘was in a deep sleep’ when he received the tragic news from his spouse Ally Dale.

‘My wife woke me up this morning and told me that my beautiful mother, Debra Apostal, passed away in her sleep,’ he told the crowd.

The Gild the Lily artist described to the crowd what he did in the emotional moments after learning news of his mother’s passing.

‘I just put on my shoes and started walking,’ Strings said. ‘I walked until I saw this little country church and it was like a beacon, and I went there and knocked on the door and this kind lady let me in and she stayed with me and prayed with me for a while.’

Strings said he ultimately settled on taking the stage that evening because that what his ‘mom would have wanted me to do.’

He added: ‘She really loved this group of people. She loved you all so much and for the last couple of years were some of her happiest because a lot of you folks from here.

‘You all became some of our best friends, and I really want to thank you for that. So please, instead of a moment of silence, can you please make as much noise right now for my mom?’