Nelly's Sister Passes From Leukemia

Nelly's Sister Passes From Leukemia
By Remmie Fresh
Date: 3/24/2005 1:30 pm

Sadly, Nelly has lost his sister Jackie Donohue to a years-old bout with leukemia.

Donohue, 31, died Thursday morning after the cancer came out of remission.

"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Jackie Donahue, 31, who lost her 3-year battle with leukemia this morning," the family told AllHipHop.com in a statement. "We want to thank everyone for their love and support of Jackie. In particular, we want to thank those who participated in the Jes Us 4 Jackie bone marrow drives."

In March of 2001, Donahue was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia and had beaten the disease until she suffered a relapse in January 2003.

Consequently, she and Nelly established the non-profit Jes-US-4-Jackie as a way to raise awareness about leukemia and to find her a possible bone marrow donor.

"We are very proud of her efforts to educate and raise awareness about the disease and the need for African-Americans to join the National Donor Registry. She will always be remembered for her loving spirit, energy, courage and unshakeable faith."

Nelly cancelled his recent concert appearances after learning about his sister's passing.

Funeral details have yet to be announced.