Chris Daughtry has confirmed the cause of his stepdaughter Hannah Price‘s tragic death. The American Idol alum, 42, and his family told People on Jan. 19 that Hannah died by suicide while under influence of narcotics on November 12. Hannah was 25 years old at the time of her passing and was found dead inside her home in Fentress County, Tennessee.
The Daughtry family, which includes Chris’ wife and Hannah’s mother, Deanna Daughtry, said in a statement to the publication that “after a full investigation by law enforcement,” they could “speak in further detail” about Hannah’s passing. They revealed that Hannah had been struggling with mental illness since she was young, and “was in and out of therapy and treatment centers” in the years leading up to her death.
“As Hannah got older, she struggled to find her footing and began using drugs and often found herself in abusive relationships,” the statement read. “Just months after losing her biological father to suicide, Hannah was the victim of a crime and was shot in the face. We did everything we could to support her and get her the help she needed to recover from these tragedies and get her life back on track. We had just recently made plans with Hannah for her to seek further treatment and move closer to the family.”
The Daughtrys also revealed that on the morning of Hannah’s death, she called her family and said she “was in fear for her life” after her boyfriend allegedly physically attacked her and stole her car. This led Chris and his loved ones to call the authorities to perform a wellness check on Hannah, which they did. But after police left, Hannah was found dead by her boyfriend. Authorities arrived and pronounced Hannah dead at the scene.
“Hannah was a generous and loving person who wanted more for herself and others. She will forever be in the hearts and minds of those of us who love her,” the family said.
Chris and Deanna had previously shared heartbreaking tributes to Hannah following news of her death. The famous musician postponed all of his concert dates on his Dearly Beloved tour due to the tragedy. A week after Hannah’s death, Deanna denied homicide rumors regarding her daughter’s passing and cautioned against “jumping to conclusions.”