Rascal Flatts‘ Jay DeMarcus is mourning the loss of his father, Stanley Wayne DeMarcus. The singer and multi-instrumentalist spoke out about his father’s death on social media, sharing a few photos of them together over the years.
“I lost my musical hero and Father this morning,” Jay posted. “Known as ‘Wayno’ to most, he impacted everyone around him, and he was bigger than life to me. I could never explain in just a few words how important the musical bond was that we shared-it meant everything to me.”
I lost my musical hero and Father this morning. Known as “Wayno” to most, he impacted everyone around him, and he was bigger than life to me. I could never explain in just a few words how important the musical bond was that we shared-it meant everything to me. pic.twitter.com/lUL4oVVLdY
— Jay DeMarcus (@JayDeMarcus) October 29, 2020
Jay previously spoke about his father, and how the musical dreams of both his father and mother, which went largely unfulfilled, served as his ambition in becoming the best musician he could be. His mother had her own chance at a record deal, but gave it up for the sake of Jay’s father, who was not offered the same opportunity.
“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,” Jay 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,” he continued. “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.”
Jay’s full name is Stanley Wayne DeMarcus, Jr., named after his father. Jay’s wife, Allison, also spoke out about the devastating loss.
We'll always cherish the memories we've had with our fathers. Dads are a girl’s 1st love & a boy’s 1st hero. Jay’s daddy, Wayne-O, left an incredible mark on everyone he encountered. We're thankful for the outpouring of love during this time of loss for Jay & our family. 💙 pic.twitter.com/8saz0GY2ij
— Allison DeMarcus (@allisondemarcus) October 29, 2020
“We’ll always cherish the memories we’ve had with our fathers,” she wrote. “Dads are a girl’s 1st love & a boy’s 1st hero. Jay’s daddy, Wayne-O, left an incredible mark on everyone he encountered. We’re thankful for the outpouring of love during this time of loss for Jay & our family.”
Funeral services have yet to be announced. Everything Nash extends our deepest condolences to Jay and his family.
