Sadly, Nelly has lost his sister Jackie Donohue to a years-old
bout with leukemia.
Donohue, 31, died
Thursday morning after the cancer came out of remission.
"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Jackie Donahue, 31,
who lost her 3-year battle with leukemia this morning," the family told
AllHipHop.com in a statement. "We want to thank everyone for their love
and support of Jackie. In particular, we want to thank those who participated
in the Jes Us 4 Jackie bone marrow drives."
In March
of 2001, Donahue was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia and had beaten
the disease until she suffered a relapse in January 2003.
Consequently, she
and Nelly established the non-profit Jes-US-4-Jackie as a way to raise awareness
about leukemia and to find her a possible bone marrow donor.
"We are very proud of her efforts to educate and raise awareness about
the disease and the need for African-Americans to join the National Donor Registry.
She will always be remembered for her loving spirit, energy, courage and unshakeable
faith."
Nelly cancelled his recent concert appearances after learning
about his sister’s passing.
Funeral details have yet to be announced.
Donations can be made to:
The Jacqueline Donahue Trust
C/O US BANK SLMOL2PB
721 Locust Street
St. Louis, MO. 63101