Country Ever After star Criscilla Anderson has passed away aged 45.

The hip-hop dancer died following a seven-year battle with colon cancer. 

The news was announced on Tuesday in a statement that she had written before her passing.

‘If you’re reading this, I’ve finally slipped into the arms of Jesus — peacefully and surrounded by love,’ it read.

‘Please don’t stay in the darkness of this moment. I fought hard and I loved deeply. I am not gone… I’m Home [sic].’

Anderson, who worked with Britney Spears and Rihanna as a professional dancer, is survived by the three children she had with her estranged husband, country star Coffey Anderson, and her former stepdaughter. 

The pair were married for 13 years before Coffey filed for divorce in 2022. It is unclear whether their divorce was finalized before her death. 

Anderson addressed her children – Ethan, Savannah, Everleigh, and Emmarie – in her emotional statement in which she described them as her ‘whole heart.’

She wrote: ‘Ethan, you made me a mom. I’m still beside you, cheering you on. Savannah, my bonus girl — you were a gift God knew I needed.

‘Emmarie, my Jesus-loving dancer — keep dancing through every season. Everleigh, my bright spark — chase your dreams boldly and without fear.’

Anderson added that she is ‘watching over’ her children.

Coffey remembered his late wife in an emotional tribute shared on his Instagram, in which he said that his heart is ‘shattered.’

He penned: ‘Criscilla defined strength and fighter like no other person on the planet. Heaven gained a star today.

‘She said before she passed, “If you see a butterfly, that will be me. If you miss me, a butterfly will show up. Remember… I’ll be there with you.”

‘We miss you already. Our hearts are shattered. Our minds are jumbled. Our lives will never be the same. The house is quieter because you’re missing. The babies are resilient and strong as ever. We did good with them.’

Tributes have been flooding in for the late star from devastated friends and fans.

Reality star Todd Chrisley said: ‘Heartbroken is an understatement, rest well my beautiful friend, you will be loved and thought of always.’

Actress Viola Davis wrote: ‘Just devastating. Really. I never stopped praying and will continue to pray for her family, her children and for her name to continue to be spoken. God’s got her.’

Actor Kevin Lawson added: ‘You fought hard, my friend. I’ll see you on the other side. I know you’re already up there choreographing something beautiful with the angels.’

In 2019, Anderson voiced her heartbreak to the Daily Mail after learning that her cancer had spread and was ‘growing up her back.’

She said that the news marked her ‘darkest ever day’ but voiced her determination to see her three children grow up.

‘I have three babies,’ Anderson said at the time. 

‘I need to be healthy, I need to be cured. It broke me. My first thought was that I have three babies that need their mom. It was the darkest day of my life.’