Emergency brake cable broke?

I have a 1998 Grand Prix GT, about 125k miles. I always set the emergency brake when I turn the car off. Tonight I got home, turned the car off, and pressed the emergency brake pedal. I felt/heard something give or snap, and now the pedal is much easier to press down than it was. I'm wondering if a cable snapped or came loose. The pedal will still push down, stay, and release when I push it again. The brake light still comes on when the pedal is pressed, but I'm able to move the car forward and backward. My question is what normally causes this behavior, and how much does it generally cost to fix?

Thanks for the help!

My cable on my car did the same thing i think but i am haveing other problems with it right now so it is kinda the least of my problems.

With 125K miles ever replace the parking brake pads or adjust the cable?

Best thing to do is a visual inspection if you think the cable broke. Look at the point where the cable attaches to the parking brake pedal. If that is OK then look underneath the rear of the car and inspect the cables going to each rear wheel. You can have another person activate the parking brake while you inspect.

And welcome to AF.