Justin Bieber mourned the passing of his grandfather with a stirring tribute that he shared on Instagram. On Saturday (April 26), Bieber took to social media to honor his maternal grandfather, Bruce Dale, who died two days prior at 80 years old.
“Papa , I always took all ur money lol,” Bieber wrote in the post’s caption. “I remember u specifically telling me, gramma gave u an allowance of 20 dollars for the WEEK! I would always convince you to spend on snacks at the hockey game on Friday nights.”
“Reluctantly you always gave it to me," he continued. "Corn nuts, skittles, gum balls, chuck a puck, slush puppies … Shout out to the jr b referees Beatty, Fagon, Flanagan lmfao.”
The singer then recalled how confrontational that Dale could be at hockey games, writing, “My grandpa wasn’t shy in letting them know that they were being pieces of shits.”
“I can’t wait to see u again soon in heaven,” added Bieber. “Until then I know ur watching down probably still heckling Beatty or Fagon for missing that cross check call in the corner there lmfao.”
To end the touching tribute, Bieber declared that he’ll miss his grandfather.
“I will ache. And I’ll sit and let myself remember all the wonderful times we’ve had,” he wrote.
Dale had previously appeared in Bieber's Never Say Never concert film and Justin Bieber: Seasons docuseries. The singer’s grandfather often attended his concerts and events over the years.
In 2018, Dale was interviewed about Bieber at the Steps to Stardom exhibit at the Stratford Perth Museum. When discussing his grandson’s career, Dale got emotional when reflecting on driving eight hours with Bieber’s mother to watch his “first show.”
“I can sit and talk with anybody about anything, but when it comes to talking about him, I just get emotional,” said Dale.