April 27, 2025: Singer Justin Bieber took to Instagram to honor his late maternal grandfather, Bruce Dale, who passed away on April 24. In a heartfelt post, Justin shared fond memories of his time with his grandfather and the special bond they shared.
In the emotional message, Justin wrote, “Papa, I always took all ur money lol. I remember u specifically telling me, gramma gave u an allowance of 20 dollars for the WEEK! I would always convince you to spend on snacks at the hockey game on Friday nights. Reluctantly you always gave it to me. Corn nuts, skittles, gum balls, chuck a puck, slush puppies…” He also humorously recalled how his grandfather would heckle junior referees at hockey games: “Shout out to the jr b referees Beatty, Fagon, Flanagan lmfao For enduring all of my grandpa’s heckling for all of your horrible referee calls.”
Justin also shared a nostalgic childhood photo with his grandfather, expressing how much he will miss him. “I can’t wait to see u again soon in heaven. Until then I know ur watching down probly still heckling Beatty or Fagon for missing that cross check call in the corner there lmfao. I will miss u. I will ache. And I’ll sit and let myself remember all of the wonderful times we’ve had,” he added.
Bruce Dale, the father of Justin’s mother, Pattie Mallette, was an integral part of the singer’s life and career. He was featured in Justin’s 2011 documentary Never Say Never and also shared memories during a 2018 interview at the Stratford Perth Museum, where an exhibit dedicated to Bieber was showcased.
Bruce’s obituary also mentioned Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber, their son Jack Blues, and other family members, highlighting the deep connection and love within the family.