By james art
Demi Lovato’s newborn niece, Xiomara, has died following an emergency C-section, the singer’s younger sister Madison De La Garza has announced. De La Garza posted a statement on Instagram on Saturday (October 26), and Lovato shared her sister’s heartbreaking message.
“On the evening of September 27th, after an emergency c-section, Ryan and I held our little girl for the first and last time. Thank you Xiomara for making us the parents of the most perfect angel in heaven. Mom and Dad love you sweet girl,” De La Garza, 22, wrote in her post. She and boyfriend Ryan Mitchell announced the pregnancy on September 7, as well as De La Garza’s due date in October.
“I love you so much Xiomara. An angel in every sense of the word. I’ll be your aunt forever,” Lovato commented on her sister’s post on Saturday.
Dallas Lovato, their older sister, wrote a touching poem: “Baby girl Xiomara, I miss you everyday. I will take good care of your mother so you can fly away. Watch over us and guide us and give us little signs. One day we will come to see you, but it may take some time. Not a single day will pass without you in our hearts. I wish we had more time together before you had to go. So have fun in your new world, the one we can’t see. Because every breath I take, I’ll take one for z.”
Diana De La Garza, the siblings’ mother and baby Xiomara’s grandmother, wrote: “They say that when you meet your grandson for the first time, you feel a love that cannot be explained in words. I felt that love and I will feel it until the day I die. I love you my sweet granddaughter Xiomara. Thank you for making me a REAL “Grandma D.”
On Saturday, Lovato also shared a post of her younger sister’s Instagram Story on her own account, where she wrote, “GIVEaway to my beautiful, perfect niece Xiomara. I’m so grateful I have to hug you. I will forever be your aunt.
“I love you so much @maddelagarza,” she said.
De La Garza and Mitchell are actors, with De La Garza best known for her role as the young Juanita Solis in Desperate wives from 2008-2012 Mitchell’s credits include appearances on soap operas The Bold and the Beautiful and The young and the restless in 2017
They shared their first public photo as a couple on Instagram on June 13, with De La Garza captioning the private snap “My whole world.”
On Sept. 7, when the couple announced they were expecting, De La Garza shared a sweet photo of herself with Mitchell, her hand resting on her belly. The photo was one of several in a slideshow of images celebrating the pregnancy with the family. She didn’t post again until October 26.
Last month, Lovato shed light on her experience with childhood fame when she released her documentary Child star on Hulu. The pop star and actress directed the film alongside Nicola Marsh. Since then, she’s performed at the 2024 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala, participated in the Project Healthy Minds World Mental Health Day panel and gala, and sang one of Foreigner’s biggest hits, “Feels Like the First Time,” at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for 2024.