In some sad news announced Tuesday night (Jan. 5), Zayn Malik’s sister Waliyha announced that their maternal grandmother has passed away.

Waliyha shared a photo of her mom and her grandparents on Instagram, writing a sweet message to her late grandma in the caption.

“R.I.P to my grandma I love you more than anything in the world my angel❤️” Waliyha wrote. “it was so hard to see you struggle the way you have been?but I know your in a better place now with my granddad he'll be so happy to see you after so many years?❤️

Fans soon started sharing their condolences in the pic’s comments and also reached out to Zayn on Twitter, trending the hashtag #ZaynStayStrong. The 22-year-old responded to the influx of support on Wednesday, saying his grandma “will be missed dearly.”

Zayn’s always been candid about how much his family means to him. He comes from a female-strong family that includes his mom, Trisha Brannan, and three little sisters: Safaa, Waliyha and Doniya. He’s brought his mom to red carpet events before, featured Waliyha in One Direction’s emotional video for “Story of My Life,” and even surprised his mom and sisters with a new house once upon a time.

That’s why this loss must be especially heartbreaking for Zayn, so our thoughts are with him during this difficult time. Luckily, he has a strong support system behind him — as evidenced by these fans’ precious condolences: