Teddi Mellencamp shared praise for her father, John Mellencamp, arsenic nan legendary vocalist was honored pinch nan Icon Award astatine Thursday’s iHeartRadio Music Awards.
“My dad, passim my past journey, has been unbelievable,” nan “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum, who has been battling crab since 2022, exclusively told Page Six astatine nan Los Angeles event, adding that he “pretty overmuch saved my life.”
She added that nan “Jack & Diane” hitmaker, 74, “swooped in” to thief his celebrated daughter, contempt nan truth that he lives successful Indiana.
“He was retired present for months pinch maine successful nan hospital, taking attraction of maine astatine my bedside,” she shared.
The Bravolebrity said that her father’s attraction “goes to show who he is arsenic a person.”
“He doesn’t do thing halfway,” she gushed. “And I deliberation that’s why there’s nary amended personification to get nan Icon Award than my dad.”
The 44-year-old reality TV characteristic echoed those sentiments while taking nan shape connected Thursday to coming nan Icon Award to John.
“For me, ‘Longest Days’ has been nan opus that intends nan most,” she said successful a tearful tribute, referencing her father’s 2008 hit.
“In it he sings, ‘But thing lasts everlastingly / Your champion efforts don’t ever salary / Sometimes erstwhile you get sick and you don’t get amended / That’s erstwhile life is short, moreover successful its longest days.'”
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“It was a small complete a twelvemonth agone erstwhile I sewage sick. My life felt short moreover erstwhile nan days successful nan infirmary seemed to spell connected forever,” she told nan audience, adding, “sometimes you get sick and you don’t get better.”
“He wasn’t going to fto that lyric specify my life,” she continued, sharing that John “stepped up, took control, fought for me, and beautiful overmuch changed my life. Saved my life.”
“We’re celebrating nan icon, nan artist, a man nan full world knows is John Mellencamp, a man I get to telephone ‘Dad’ and my champion friend.”
John past handed his life accomplishment trophy to Teddi, saying, “I’m going to return this grant and I’m going to springiness it to Teddi, truthful that’s yours.”
Teddi initially divulged her shape 2 melanoma diagnosis in October 2022 before undergoing much than a twelve surgeries, including an emergency process successful 2025 to region aggregate tumors successful her encephalon arsenic nan illness metastasized and dispersed to her lungs.
In October, she said nan cancer was gone, though it’ll beryllium perchance years earlier doctors are capable to clear her arsenic officially being successful remission.
Through it all, her dada — who welcomed Teddi pinch ex-wife Victoria Granucci — has been a support.
He shared successful January that nan TV prima was “suffering” arsenic she battled nan illness, saying connected an section of nan “Joe Rogan Experience” that “It’s not f–king fun.”
Also successful January, nan rocker told “Today” show viewers that he was “try[ing] to talk her into” moving to Indiana from her location successful Los Angeles truthful he could be to her afloat time. However, he said astatine nan time, she “won’t do it.”
Instead, nan devoted begetter said he would “go retired to [California] and see” her.