Vanessa Hudgens says her mother has been her pillar of strength as they cope with the loss of her father.

She told PEOPLE magazine: "She's so strong through the hardest of times. But she has this lightheartedness and this light that just beams out of her very being and it's so special. Life is about perspective. The way you choose to see your life is the way your life is going to become.

"There are highs and there are lows. It sucks, but death happens. It never makes it easier but it happens to all of us. It's just something we have to get through until we all meet again in heaven."

The 27-year-old actress - whose father passed away in January after a hard-fought battle with cancer - soldiered through the tough times and chose to perform in the 'Grease: Live' musical special, in which she played Rizzo, earlier this year in his memory.

Taking to social media soon after his passing, she wrote: "I am so sad to say that last night my daddy, Greg passed away from stage 4 cancer. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers. Tonight, I do the show in his honor (sic)"

Meanwhile, Vanessa - who is dating Austin Butler - previously revealed she "hates cancer with every cell of my being".

She said at the time: "Last year, my boyfriend, Austin, lost his mom, Lori, to cancer, and my dad has just been recently diagnosed with stage four cancer. Let me tell you, I hate cancer. I hate cancer with every cell of my being.

"If you would have asked me two years ago what I thought of cancer, I would have said, 'Man, you know, it sucks. It's a horrible disease.' But that's only because I had not been faced with it personally."