Melissa Etheridge Breaks Her Silence After Her Son Beckett’s Passing
Published on May 14, 2020.
Tammie Arroyo/AP
Melissa Etheridge is mourning her son Beckett after he passed away on Wednesday, May 13, after an opioid overdose.
The 58-year-old star spoke to PEOPLE about her 21-year-old son who had struggled with addiction for a while now.
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“Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction,” Etheridge told PEOPLE in a statement. “My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today. He will be missed by those who loved him, his family and friends.”
“My heart is broken,” she continued. “I am grateful for those who have reached out with condolences and I feel their love and sincere grief.”
“We struggle with what else we could have done to save him, and in the end we know he is out of the pain now,” the musician said. “I will sing again, soon. It has always healed me.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the star’s team shared the news of Beckett’s passing on Twitter.
“We’re sad to inform you that Melissa’s son Beckett passed away and there will not be a Concerts From Home show today. – #TeamME” the tweet, shared on the singer’s account, read.
Etheridge shared Beckett with her ex-partner, Julie Cyphr. The former couple also shares Bailey.
“There’s nothing like taking the responsibility or creating the responsibility of bringing a human being into this world and helping it in its first years,” Etheridge previously told Parents magazine of parenthood. “It doesn’t matter the equation that gets you there or what you are to that person. It doesn’t matter at all. It is the bond between you and the child.”
Etheridge also shares 13-year-old twins Johnnie Rose and Miller Steve with ex Tammy Lynn Michaels.
We’re sad to inform you that Melissa’s son Beckett passed away and there will not be a Concerts From Home show today. – #TeamME
— Melissa Etheridge (@metheridge) May 13, 2020
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