Iconic lesbian singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge reveals heartbreaking news that her son has died at 21
Melissa Etheridge with her son Beckett, who has died at the age of 21 (CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty)
Melissa Etheridge’s son Beckett has tragically died at just 21 years old, the acclaimed singer-songwriter has confirmed.
Writing on Twitter Wednesday night (May 13), Melissa Etheridge confirmed that her son Beckett had died and that a concert she was due to perform from home would not be going ahead.
Hours later, she posted an in-depth statement in which she spoke about her family’s heartbreak at Beckett’s death, which was caused by addiction.
“Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction,” Etheridge wrote.
“My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today.
Melissa Etheridge says son Beckett’s death has left her heartbroken.
“He will be missed by those who loved him, his family and friends.
“My heart is broken,” she added.
“I am grateful for those who have reached out with condolences and I feel their love and sincere grief.”
The American singer said she and her family struggle with what else they could have done to save his life.
My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today.
“In the end we know he is out of the pain now.”
She closed out her statement by saying she will sing again soon, as doing so has “always healed” her.
The musician wrote her song ‘Scarecrow’ when Cypher was pregnant with Beckett.
Melissa Etheridge’s son Beckett was one of two children she had with filmmaker Julie Cypher. His biological father was musician David Crosby.
Etheridge and Cypher separated in 2000 and the singer is now married to actress Linda Wallem.
In a 2011 interview with PinkNews, Etheridge spoke about her song “Scarecrow”, which was inspired by the tragic gay hate killing of Matthew Shephard and was written when Cypher was pregnant with Beckett.
“When I heard the news about Matthew, Julie was pregnant with my oldest son, Beckett,” she said at the time.
“It cut me open. All I could think about was that he was someone’s son. How sad it was that boys could be so afraid of this that they become monsters. I had to write the song to get those feelings out.”
Readers affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans free on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). People with addiction issues and their families can contact Action on Addiction on 0300 330 0659.
