Harry Styles’ stepfather, Robin Twist, has died at the age of 57.
A representative for Styles spoke to PEOPLE and announced, “Harry’s step-father, Robin Twist, sadly passed away this week after a long battle with cancer. The family asks for privacy at this time.”
Styles was quite close with his stepfather and Twist helped to raise Harry and his sister Gemma during their teenage years. Twist often showed his unconditional support for Harry in social media posts. “I was always asking mum if he was coming over. But she wanted to make sure Gemma and I were okay with him being around,” Harry revealed when asked about his relationship with his stepfather.
After a long-time relationship, Harry’s mother Anne Cox married Twist in June 2013. At the wedding Harry served as the best man and walked his mother down the aisle. Harry has previously admitted that the speech he did for this wedding was “the most nerve-wracking thing” he’d ever done.
The tragic news comes shortly after One Direction band mate Louis Tomlinson shared the news that his mother lost her battle with leukemia in December 2016. We send our thoughts and support to both Styles and Tomlinson’s families during this difficult time.