Canadian rapper Drake is mourning the loss of his beloved grandmother.

The Best I Ever Had hitmaker, real name Aubrey Graham, broke the sad news to fans on Twitter.com on Thursday (22Nov12), as his American devotees celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with their families.

He tweeted, "Rest in peace to my grandmother Evelyn Sher. What a day to go...thankful to have had the times we did".

Drake shared a close bond with his maternal grandma, who spent her final days in a nursing home, and even referenced her in a handful of his songs.

On the unreleased track The Winner, he rapped, "Yeah, and in the name of Evelyn Sher/I'll forever forgive anybody that never was there/For me, no other woman could ever compare/My angel I hope heaven's prepared for whenever you there."

Sher even landed a guest appearance on the tune Look What I've Done, from Drake's 2011 album Take Care, on which she tells her grandchild: "All I can say Aubrey is, I remember the good times we had together and the times I used to look after you and I still have wonderful feelings about that. So God bless you, and I hope I'll see you."