The parents of six-year-old Ayalanna Routh, who lost her battle with a rare form of brain cancer last week, thanked Justin Bieber for his emotional tribute to their daughter, Celebuzz is reporting. The singer included a photo montage of Ayalanna, who was nicknamed Mrs. Bieber, during his song ‘One Less Lonely Girl’ at his concert on September 29 in Glendale, Arizona.
Ayalanna’s father, Cameron Routh, told Celebuzz that he didn’t know Bieber would be dedicating the song to his daughter. “It was completely unrehearsed,” Routh said. “We were so touched by it. But I wasn’t really surprised, because that’s just the kind of guy he is.” Routh also said his daughter would have loved the tribute from Bieber. “She loved parties, loved people and loved adventures,” he added.
When Ayalanna was fighting her brain cancer, Bieber flew her and her parents to New York to meet him. The singer told his Twitter followers that he was hanging out with “a special little girl, #MrsBieber.” Ayalanna was nicknamed Mrs. Bieber after nurses at a Boston hospital threw her a pretend wedding.
Ayalanna suffered from an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, or ATRT, for half of her life. She lost her battle with the disease on September 26. Since then, Routh said his family has received overwhelming global support for his daughter.
Routh added that Bieber “is a great guy and everything you’ve seen is genuine the whole time. He’s just terrific. We think so highly of him. He’s such an impressive young man and we’re honored to know him.”
Routh’s goal is to continue to look for a cure for ATRT, to keep Ayalanna’s memory and legacy alive. “I think Justin will be a part of that. I think we’ll have a friendship forever,” he said.
Written by: Karen Benardello
