( CNN ) Pop star Taylor Swift , who has built an intense bond with her fans by sharing personal details of her life , revealed some sobering news Thursday : Her mother has cancer . The singer did not divulge the nature or severity of the cancer , saying `` I 'd like to keep the details of her condition and treatment plans private . '' Andrea Swift , 57 , who years ago quit her job as a mutual fund marketing executive to raise Swift and Swift 's younger brother , Austin , has joined her famous daughter on tour and in several of her videos . In a post on Tumblr , the blogging platform , Swift said that for Christmas last year , she asked her mom to get screened for potential health issues , `` just to ease some worries of mine . '' Her mother felt `` perfectly fine '' but went to the doctor for tests anyway `` just to get me and my brother off her case '' about it . `` The results came in , and I 'm saddened to tell you that my mom has been diagnosed with cancer . I 'd like to keep the details of her condition and treatment plans private , but she wanted you to know , '' Swift added . # PrayForMamaSwift was a trending hashtag Thursday on Twitter , where Swift 's legions of fans offered prayers and messages of support . Within an hour and a half , Swift 's tweet about her mom had been retweeted more than 21,000 times . Many fans shared `` there 's something in your eyes that says we can beat this , '' a lyric from Swift 's 2008 song `` Change . '' Swift also urged her fans to make sure their parents get screened for cancer and other potential health problems . `` She wanted you to know because your parents may be too busy juggling everything they 've got going on to go to the doctor , and maybe you reminding them to go get checked for cancer could possibly lead to an early diagnosis and an easier battle ... '' she wrote . `` Or peace of mind in knowing that they 're healthy and there 's nothing to worry about . '' Swift , 25 , added that `` usually when things happen to me , I process them and then write music about how I feel , and you hear it much later . This is something my family and I thought you should know about now . `` Thank you for caring about my family so much that she would want me to share this information with you . I hope and pray that you never get news like this . '' Andrea Swift and Swift 's father , Scott Kingsley Swift , live in Nashville , Tennessee , in a mansion bought by their daughter in 2011 for $ 2.5 million .
Pop star Taylor Swift revealed Thursday that her mom has cancer . The pop star, who is currently on tour in support of her new album, "Fearless," said she was "devastated" to learn about the news.