BREAKING NEWS: David Cook’s Brother Adam Dies

After a long and valiant struggle with brain cancer, "American Idol" winner David Cook's brother Adam died at 1 a.m. Sunday morning at a hospice in Terre Haute, IN.

A family friend told RadarOnline.com exclusively, "Adam passed away peacefully. He was surrounded by his family, including his wife Kendra, his children, his father and his step-mom, among others."

David was at the airport Saturday night about to leave for Terre Haute to visit his dying  brother, but his family told David they thought it was more important for him to honor a prior commitment to attend the 12th annual Race For Hope in Washington, D.C. Sunday morning.

David followed his family's wishes and went to Washington instead to participate in the race, so he was not there when his brother passed away.

Because David had known how sick his brother was, he had left his tour a few weeks back to say his goodbyes to his older brother.

"The family thought that Adam would go much sooner than this, actually," said the Cook family friend.

"That's why David left his tour a few weeks back so that he could be with Adam. They said their goodbyes then."

But Adam, 36, rallied briefly after that and David returned to his concert tour.

"He took a turn for the worse this weekend" says the friend.

Last year, friends of the stricken lawyer, arranged a $45,000 trip on a chartered medical jet to Los Angeles so Adam could see David perform on Idol.

(Photo: Splash News)