A popular country finalist from The Voice is grieving. Lauren Duski shares that her mother, Janis, died on Friday (Jan. 5).
The Michigan native singer was a member of Team Blake and the runner-up to Chris Blue during Season 12.
- Duski covered songs by Little Big Town, Wynonna Judd, Keith Whitley and more during her time on The Voice in 2017.
- In 2019 she debuted a song called “The Weather” that she’d written with country hitmaker Liz Rose.
- The Gaylord, Mich., native signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music in 2020.
Related: Lauren Duski’s 5 Best Moments on The Voice
TMZ cite Tuscarora Township Police in reporting that Janis Duski appears to have died by suicide. She was found in her car on the side of the road, slumped over. She’d suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest — the gun was found nearby.
On Instagram, Duski wrote a lengthy tribute to her mother that features a reminder to check in on loved ones frequently, especially if they’re going through trouble.
“If you’re struggling, do not be ashamed. Do not be ashamed. Do not be ashamed,” she writes. “Your mental health is nothing to be ashamed of and neither is talking about it. We are all trying to navigate this beautiful, messy life.”
“I’ve learned that even the strongest humans have a breaking point. Be patient and gentle with yourself. Minute by minute. Please do not lose hope. Trust in God. There is always another chance…and there will never be another you.”
Duski calls her mother “the greatest human I’ve ever known” and recounts her generosity. “She set the bar above the moon. She adored her family and her grandchildren. She was an endless dreamer. Brilliant. An absolute powerhouse,” she notes.
Janis Duski served in the U.S. Air Force and worked hard to bring proper oral healthcare to disabled and homeless military veterans in Michigan. She also loved to fish and road trip across the country with little more than a map.
“I still don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to do this without you,” Duski says in Monday’s post.
Several photos of Janis Duski are included in the above carousel. A 2017 article in the Petosky, Mich., News-Review captures the elder Duski’s feelings about her daughter’s career in music. At the time, Lauren was fresh off The Voice, ready to tour and record her own music.
“I pretty much wake up every morning really excited,” Jan Duski said at the time, “because I see it in her, she’s living her dream.”
Both Lauren’s mother, Dr. Janis Duski, and father, Dr. Edward Duski, worked as dentists at Duski Dentistry in Gaylord. Janis had retired in 2021.
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