Sad news to report from the American Idol world tonight – Adam Cook, the oldest brother of American Idol season 7 winner David Cook, lost his battle with brain cancer at 1:00 a.m. on May 3, 2009.
David Cook announced his brother’s death Sunday morning in Washington D.C. where the singer was serving as grand marshal for the 12th Annual Race for Hope 5K Walk/Run.
“I actually lost my brother yesterday to a brain tumor and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else right now. I lost one today but I gained 9,000 and I will be here every year that they will have me.” [source]
Adam Cook, 36, was the eldest of the three Cook brothers, and had been fighting the cancer since 1998. He lived in Terre Haute, Indiana where he practiced law; Adam Cook is survived by his wife Kendra Cowen-Cook and their two daughters, Gage and Gracie.
In the days leading up to the race, Jeff Kolodin, the co-chair of the race – which benefits the National Brain Tumor Society and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure – worked closely with David Cook, whose team brought in the most money with more than $98,000; the race as a whole raised a total of $2 million.
“What he did this morning when he was dealing with the most raw emotion was incredible,” says Kolodin. “He talked to 9,000 people in a pouring rainstorm today. No one knew his brother had died, but he publicly said to everyone at the race, ‘I do have some bad news.’ The crowd went pretty much silent and people were crying.”
After the grim announcement, Cook put on a brave face, says Kolodin. “He spent his entire day hugging survivors, signing autographs for them, taking pictures. He did this for hundreds of people in a very chaotic setting. “He shared his very private moment with thousands,” Kolodin continues. “He was willing to put his personal, raw emotion out there, knowing he was being filmed. He’s a heck of a person.”