We’re so sorry for your loss, Witney Carson. The Dancing With the Stars pro took to Instagram on Friday, March 9 to sadly confirm her beloved father-in-law, Kevin McAllister, has died after battling pancreatic cancer. “After two long years of battling and fighting tremendously… our sweet Kevin passed away last night. Although it will be excruciatingly painful at times to live without him, we know he lives on around us being our guardian angel wherever we go. We’re so grateful for the time we’ve had with him on this earth and we know he’s in a better place,” Witney began her sweet tribute to Kevin.

“It’s hard not to think, why does my husband [Carson McAllister] have to live without his dad? Why do my kids not ever get to know their Poppy? And then I remember the Plan of Salvation, to know we will see him again… and that gives me peace. I know Kevin is getting our kids ready to come down to meet us — he’s probably spinning them around on the floor right now, over and over again until they cry of laughter! We know you’ll be there when we can’t see you or hold you — lift us up when we have moments of trouble and heartache. Our guardian angel. We love you, Kev. Until we meet again,” Witney, 24, wrote.

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My sweet father-in-law has been dealing with pancreatic cancer for the last year and a half. A few days ago he was having stomach issues & was unable to keep anything down. His doctors decided to do an exploratory surgery to find the problem, which we thought was just a minor issue. Unfortunately, we were completely wrong. The cancer has spread throughout his entire abdomen. We are so blindsided and still in shock… The doctors have explained there is nothing that they can do and have told us that we only have a few weeks with him before the cancer takes his life. After much heartache and discussion, Kevin has decided to fight it and try another aggressive chemotherapy treatment. My heart hurts to tell you all that I will not be able to do the DWTS tour this winter. This is an extraordinarily difficult time for us, I hope all of you can understand that my place is here with my family. Right now, my focus needs to be on my family & especially on my husband. I want to wish my partner, Frankie, and the whole tour an amazing run. I love my fans & I feel so devastated that I can't be there, but know that my heart is there with you ❤️

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Witney previously announced in December 2017 that she was dropping out of the DWTS: Live! Light Up the Night tour to deal with a personal family matter. “My sweet father-in-law has been dealing with pancreatic cancer for the last year and a half. A few days ago, he was having stomach issues and was unable to keep anything down. His doctors decided to do an exploratory surgery to find the problem, which we thought was just a minor issue. Unfortunately, we were completely wrong,” Witney wrote to her fans via Instagram at the time.

“The cancer has spread throughout his entire abdomen. We are so blindsided and still in shock. The doctors have explained there is nothing that they can do and have told us that we only have a few weeks with him before the cancer takes his life. After much heartache and discussion, Kevin has decided to fight it and try another aggressive chemotherapy treatment,” she continued.

“My heart hurts to tell you all that I will not be able to do the DWTS tour this winter. This is an extraordinarily difficult time for us, I hope all of you can understand that my place is here with my family. Right now, my focus needs to be on my family and especially on my husband. I want to wish my partner, Frankie [Muniz], and the whole tour an amazing run. I love my fans and I feel so devastated that I can’t be there, but know that my heart is there with you.” Our thoughts are with Witney, her husband Carson, and their extended family during this difficult time.