Celebrity Celebrity Family Celebrity Tragedy Katharine McPhee's Dad Dies Just Weeks After Her Engagement: 'My Heart Will' Never 'Be the Same' The Waitress star is mourning her father By Emily Zauzmer Emily Zauzmer Emily Zauzmer is a former digital writer at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2018. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 17, 2018 09:10AM EDT Katharine McPhee’s happiness has been cut short by heartbreak. Just weeks after getting engaged to David Foster, McPhee announced on social media that her father, Daniel McPhee, has died. “I can’t believe I’m even writing this,” she started. “But it is with heavy heart that I share that my sweet sweet Papa left this earth yesterday morning. We as a family are completely heartbroken and devastated. He was my biggest fan, my biggest champion, always telling me to ‘Give em hell kid!’ ” Katharine McPhee/Instagram She continued, “He was so kind and caring and made sure we knew how much he loved us. Not sure my heart will ever be the same.” “I’m so sad he missed my [Broadway] debut,” McPhee said. “But when I return to the stage next week I hope he can watch it in peace and from up above. Thank you to all my friends who’ve been so loving and supportive these last 48 hours. I love you Papa. I already miss you so much. This hurts.” McPhee is currently starring in the Broadway musical Waitress in New York City. Days before she shared the news of her father’s death, McPhee tweeted that she would miss a weekend of shows in order to fly to Los Angeles for a family emergency. “It breaks my heart to disappoint anyone. Sending all my love,” she wrote. McPhee, 34, has a support system in Foster, 68. The pair was first rumored to be a couple in May 2017, when they dined together at Malibu’s Nobu. They went public with their relationship at this year’s Met Gala, months before Foster popped the question on a mountaintop in Italy’s Anacapri. McPhee has been married once before, while the marriage will be Foster’s fifth.