When Lady Gaga’s Grandpa passed, it was her first experience with death ever. Her 2011 hit “The Edge of Glory” was written as he was about to pass away in hospice while she played the piano in her family’s New York apartment. She and her father had just returned from telling him goodbye. When sharing the origin of the song with Oprah she told her the song took about 10 minutes to write and speaks to the last moments of life.
Lady Gaga performs Edge of Glory.
Gaga has spoken widely about the meaning of the song with everyone from Oprah to Google to Ryan Seacrest. On Seacrest’s radio show she explained: “My Grandma said Joey [her Grandpa] just go. And we left the room and he died. And I remember he just gave this look to her that said ‘I won.’ Like i’m a champion.” She also added, “The ‘Edge of Glory’ is not just about falling in love or about dying, but it’s about being on the edge of that glorious championship of your life.”
During her “A Very Gaga Holiday” show, she performed “Edge of Glory” and included stories about memories of her grandfather.