Kelsea Ballerini is thankful for the support of her fans after her grandfather died on Wednesday (Oct. 19).

"Thank you for the kind words," she writes alongside an Instagram photo of herself as a young girl with her 'grandpa,' posted on Thursday (Oct. 20). "It was an emotional day yesterday losing my grandpa, but an honor to stand on stage with his last name and do what I love knowing he had the best seat in the house. Me and my family appreciate the thoughts and prayers."

The 23-year-old star accepted the Breakout Artist award at the taping of the annual CMT Artists of the Year special, where she also performed her hit song "Peter Pan." It was at the event that she shared the sad news of her grandfather's passing.

“My granddad passed away this afternoon,” she said at the end of her acceptance speech, offering the award in her grandfather's honor. “So this is for you.”

Ballerini is full steam ahead with new music. She recently released her current pop-country single "Yeah Boy" off her debut studio album The First Time, but she has also been in the studio. Last month she teased a demo of a new song called "Roses," which created a bit of a viral stir online.

The singer's first full-length album produced three No. 1 hits: "Love Me Like You Mean It," "Dibs" and "Peter Pan." The third chart-topper makes Ballerini the first female in country music to reach the No. 1 spot with the first three consecutive singles from a debut album.

She's got an exciting few months ahead of her, as she'll be joining "Crash and Burn" singer Thomas Rhett on out on the road for his first headlining tour, the Home Team Tour, which kicks off this winter.

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