Country Singer Kalie Shorr Reveals Her Sister Died of a Heroin Overdose
Country singer Kalie Shorr‘s sister has died of a drug overdose.
Shorr, 24, revealed the devastating news Sunday through a heartfelt message via Instagram.
“Yesterday, my beautiful sister Ashley Rhiannon passed away of a heroin overdose. I don’t even know what to say and I really never thought I would end up here,” Shorr captioned the post.
“She was named after the Fleetwood Mac song, which is based on the old Welsh story of a beautiful goddess named Rhiannon who was captivating, beautiful, and magical,” Shorr continued.
Alongside the caption was a video of Shorr singing Fleetwood Mac‘s “Rhiannon,” further honoring her late sister. She was 37.
“Ashley made friends faster than anyone I’ve ever met and could find something in common with you in five seconds flat,” the post read. “It’s so hard when you love someone and they are battling addiction because they lose so much of themselves in the process, but I am so thankful for the last conversation I had with her… I really got to tell her how much I loved her and the last words she ever said to me were “I am so proud of you.”
“I’ll never forget that and that’s how I will always remember her.”
Shorr concluded the post by providing the number to the national drug helpline.
The “Fight Like a Girl” singer also opened up about her sister’s death on Twitter and encouraged her fans to “hug your loved ones and be patient with people who are fighting their demons.”
Ashley is survived by her two young children aged 4 and 9 years old.
Shorr has since created a GoFundMe for her sister’s children Chloe and Cameron. “Although addiction is a complex issue, these children did not deserve to suffer even more. They are being taken in by close family who love them infinitely but were not financially prepared to raise two young children,” the page read.
In addition to providing support to those struggling with addiction, Shorr, who released her EP Awake in January of last year, is a huge advocate of gender equality in country music.
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After moving to Nashville, Shorr noticed the shortage of women in the genre. Taking matters into her own hands, the singer joined a local coalition for rising female singers and songwriters called Song Suffragettes, CMT reported.
“I found so many girls I could relate to and they had all very different life experience, but we came together over the fact that we were women who wanted to support each other,” Shorr told CMT.
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.