Story highlights
- Vanessa Hudgens announces her dad died after struggling with stage 4 cancer
- She played Rizzo in "Grease: Live" on Fox
(CNN)Actress Vanessa Hudgens announced the death of her father hours before she took to the stage for Fox's production of "Grease: Live."
"I am so sad to say that last night my daddy, Greg passed away from stage 4 cancer," she tweeted. "Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers."
"Tonight, I do the show in his honor," she added.
In 2015, the Daily Mail newspaper reported that the actress revealed her father's diagnosis while accepting an award during the 2015 Industry Dance Awards in Los Angeles.
"Last year, my boyfriend, Austin, lost his mom, Lori, to cancer, and my dad has just been recently diagnosed with stage four cancer," she said. "Let me tell you, I hate cancer. I hate cancer with every cell of my being."
In January 2016 she asked fans to pray for her dad.
Several of her celebrity friends offered their condolences Sunday via Twitter.
Hudgens was cast as Rizzo in "Grease: Live," which aired Sunday on Fox.
She received high praise on social media for her performance.
Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
"Grease: Live" aired Sunday night on Fox to rave reviews on social media. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta played the protagonists, Sandy and Danny, in the 1978 movie; Julianne Hough and Aaron Tveit took on the roles in "Grease: Live." Click through to compare the stars of the film with the TV production.
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Travolta had performed in "Grease" on Broadway. The 1978 film version, coming on the heels of "Saturday Night Fever," made him one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Tveit has been building a resume in theater, TV and film. Younger fans may known him as Trip van der Bilt from "Gossip Girl," but he's been a lead in the USA series "Graceland," played Enjolras in the film version of "Les Miserables" and starred as Link Larkin in Broadway's "Hairspray."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Olivia Newton-John was one of the leading vocalists of the '70s, and "Grease" was her American film debut. Her film career didn't amount to much, but she's continued being a popular singer.
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Hough is known for "Dancing With the Stars," where she's been a two-time champion, but she's also established a film career, with appearances in 2011's "Footloose," 2012's "Rock of Ages" and the recently released "Dirty Grandpa."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Stockard Channing has gone back and forth between film, TV and stage since starring as Rizzo in the 1978 film. Among her credits: the John Guare plays "The House of Blue Leaves" and "Six Degrees of Separation"; the film version of "Six Degrees"; and the shows "The West Wing" and "The Good Wife."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Vanessa Hudgens takes on the Rizzo role in "Grease: Live." The performer has been in "High School Musical" and "Spring Breakers," as well as a stage version of "Gigi."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Jeff Conaway was a "Grease" Broadway veteran when he played Kenickie in the film version. After the film, he starred as Bobby in "Taxi," but though he also appeared in "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Babylon 5," substance abuse problems derailed his career. He died in 2011.
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Carlos PenaVega, who plays Kenickie in "Grease: Live," is part of the group Big Time Rush (and was on the TV show of the same name) and hosted Nickelodeon's game show "Webheads."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Didi Conn, who played Frenchy in the 1978 film, has appeared on a variety of TV series, including "Shining Time Station." She has a small role in "Grease: Live."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Carly Rae Jepsen, who plays Frenchy in the TV production, leaped to fame thanks to her hit song "Call Me Maybe." In 2014, she played Cinderella in the Broadway production of "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Dinah Manoff, right, played Marty in the 1978 film. She has several TV credits, including a long run in "Empty Nest," in which she played Carol.
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Keke Palmer, who will take on Marty in "Grease: Live," gained fame for 2006's "Akeelah and the Bee" and has appeared in "Grey's Anatomy," "Masters of Sex" and a memorable "Key & Peele" sketch as Malia Obama's anger translator.
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
TV host Vince Fontaine was played by Edd Byrnes, right, who had started a craze with his character Kookie on the 1958-64 series "77 Sunset Strip."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
Mario Lopez is playing the same character on "Grease: Live." The "Saved by the Bell" star has experience hosting dance shows, having emceed "America's Best Dance Crew."
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
The 1978 film was the No. 1 box office hit of the year and remains the highest-grossing musical of all time in the U.S. Only "Mamma Mia" has surpassed it worldwide.
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Photos: 'Grease': Old and new
"Grease: Live" is just the first musical Fox is planning. The network will also roll out a version of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" this year.
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