Dancing With the Stars season 35 contestant Tyler Cameron has been candid about navigating grief following his mother’s death.
Andrea Cameon died in February 2020, two days after being taken to the hospital at age 55. Her cause of death was later revealed to be a brain aneurysm.
At the time, Tyler honored his mom by sharing photos of his brothers, Austin and Ryan, holding Andrea’s hand in the hospital.
“Today heaven gained an angel,” Tyler wrote via Instagram. “We will love and miss our mother dearly. She will live on through us and through those that she has had an impact on. While we grieve, we ask for two things: First, tell those you love that you love them; and second, please let us take this time to celebrate her life in private. Thank you for all of your love and support.❤️.”
Years later, Tyler made his debut in the ballroom for DWTS season 35 alongside pro partner Sharna Burgess — and revealed his inspiration for competing in the ballroom is his mom.
“I mean, mine’s for my mom. You know, this is about honoring her,” Tyler exclusively told Us in September after the premiere. “She would have pushed me to do this show. Right when I got The Bachelorette, she was like, ‘You should go do Dancing With the Stars. You’d be amazing.’”
“So, to be here to do this, I wish she was here watching this because this would have made my mom probably the happiest I could have ever made [her],” Tyler continued. “It’s incredible, but I get to do it with this super mom, [Sharna]. I am very honored to be here on her comeback season.”
The following month, Tyler received praise and support from DWTS judges after he spoke candidly about the death of his mom.
“My mom would be kicking and screaming and yelling. She’d be thrilled,” Cameron told Us after the episode while Burgess added, “Them [getting] emotional at the judges’ table was making me emotional, and then it was just an emotional thing. I’m just so proud of you, and I’m so glad we got to do that.”
Tyler is set to continue to honor his mom with his Dedication Night performance to “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran, and will pay tribute to mothers everywhere. The routine will also feature Tyler’s fiancée, Tate Madden.
“I lost my mom to a brain aneurysm back in 2020. Just like that, she was gone,” Tyler recalled in a video shared via the official DWTS Instagram. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through. You never stop going through it. You still grieve even to this day, almost seven years later. It’s going to be an emotional night … This is for the mom’s out there. Not just my mom but for the moms that we love and also the moms that we miss. I’m very excited to do this. This is not just my mom, this is all those important moms because a boy always needs his mom.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
