It was a bittersweet performance in Ohio last week for Rascal Flatts‘ Jay DeMarcus. The singer-songwriter shared a photo of him with his mother Caron, while in his home state, as part of Rascal Flatts’ Life Is A Highway Tour. Unfortunately, Caron was unable to attend the show, for one heartbreaking reason.
“A flash back to happier times…. Today is my sweet Momma’s 75th Birthday,” DeMarcus shares. “It is a bittersweet because we are playing my hometown of Columbus, OH tonight and any other time she would be here cheering me and the boys on, but sadly her journey with dementia has taken such a toll, she can no longer go anywhere and I hate it. It is an awful, debilitating disease.
“So this one is for her tonight,” he adds. “It will be the first time I look out at a hometown crowd and not have my mom or my dad in it and it is an un-fillable hole. Somehow I know in my heart I will feel both of them right there with me…”
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DeMarcus’ father passed away in 2020. One year ago, DeMarcus opened up about his mother’s debilitating illness, also on her birthday.
“This picture is one of the last times she was in Nashville,” he wrote, sharing the same photo he shared this year. “Her eyes were still bright, she could travel alone, hold conversations… and I took it all for granted. The emptiness I see now is gut-wrenching… she still musters an ‘I love you’ or an ‘I miss you’ and it still means as much as it ever has but boy do I ‘miss’ her’ …
“For any of you dealing with loved ones that have dementia, you’ll know exactly what I mean,” he continued. “I celebrate her today, even if she can’t – and I thank GOD every day that he hand picked this amazingly strong, rock of a woman to be my Mother. She has been one of my life’s greatest blessings… Her example of what a praying, God-fearing woman should be, has absolutely saved my life sometimes. I am certain of it.”
Both of DeMarcus’ parents were musically gifted. His mother was offered a record deal, but ultimately turned it down, largely because of her family.
“Maybe there was a piece –– subconsciously in me –– that kind of wanted to be able to at least have some success for both of them] so that maybe they could live a little bit of their dream through their son,” DeMarcus told All Access. “My dad wanted it really, really badly too, and I think that was one of the reasons why he probably wasn’t as supportive to my mom when she was able to pursue it first. Both of them [were] very, very accomplished, very gifted musicians, and [my mom] will tell you now that she has no regrets, because she wouldn’t have had my sister and I. But I don’t know. There may be a piece of her in there that wonders, ‘What if?’ all the time. I’m glad that I’ve at least been able to let her live through our success a little bit.”
Find all of Rascal Flatts’ Life Is A Highway Tour dates at RascalFlatts.com.