Melissa Etheridge posts emotional message on son Beckett’s death

For the second time since her son’s sudden death last month, Melissa Etheridge has spoken out publicly about how she’s been dealing with grief and mourning in an emotional Twitter message to fans.

“Hello my friends. I just wanted to update you all,” the rock musician wrote in a brief message on Monday.

She continued: “I have made myself busy by fixing up my studio here in the house. It has healed me, greatly. While nothing but time will heal the empty space in my heart, I have been hopeful watching the world rise up and ask for more love.”

Etheridge’s son, Beckett Cypher, died at the age of 21 on May 13 as a result of an “opioid addiction,” as revealed by the 58-year-old singer the following day. Though she alluded to an overdose, the official cause of death has not yet been explicitly confirmed.

Between January 2016 and September 2019, more than 14,700 opioid-related deaths were reported in Canada, according to the government of Canada. More than 2,900 of those incidents took place in 2019, with 94 per cent of them reportedly being accidental.

“I miss you all and am so grateful for your thoughts and well wishes,” Etheridge wrote in response to her fans’ continuous messages of support.

On May 23 — 10 days after Cypher’s passing — the Come to My Window rocker shared her first message following the tragic event, revealed that with the help of her family her “regrets and doubts” have been “eased.”

“My family has cried and grieved. We have held each other and remembered,” she wrote.

Etheridge’s tweet concluded: “We have received so much love and generosity from friends and fans. We are beginning the new path. I am so grateful for your kind thoughts and words. Healing…”

Beckett was born on Nov. 18, 1998, and was Etheridge’s only son from her former relationship with filmmaker Julie Cypher. The two also had a daughter, Bailey Jean Cypher, in 1997 before ultimately splitting up in 2000.

David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young was Beckett’s biological father. He helped conceive the child after donating his sperm to the celebrity couple in the late ’90s.

About her impending return to the music scene, Etheridge promised her fans that she would soon “make an announcement” in her heartfelt message on Monday.

It reads: “In a few days I will make an announcement about the new plans to return to my music.”

Are you or someone you know struggling with addiction? Here is a list of resources you can use to get help.