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Sunday, 11 November 2007

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Alicia Keys: I put career on hold for dying gran

Star spent precious time with her

Alicia Keys has revealed she halted her music career last year to care for her dying grandmother.

The singer, 27, put aside her third album when her dad's mum - who helped raise her - was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

'I had to totally, completely stop,' Alicia explains.

'It was very stressful and it was very hard on my spirit. And I was obviously totally saddened … It was hard, and it was joyful. It was bittersweet.'

If she hadn't taken time out to devote herself to her gran, Alicia believes she'd be 'a terribly messed up person right now'.

'I was able to spend some of the most precious time with her ever,' Alicia tells The Independent On Sunday. 'And I grew. And grew up. I learnt a lot – about family, about who's there for me, who's not.'