Luke Bryan has a close-knit family and his home in Nashville pays tributes to those closest to him.
The American Idol star has suffered some heartbreaking losses in his immediate family, with his brother Chris and sister Kelly both passing away suddenly.
The country music star opened up about the unexpected deaths of his siblings in an interview with Billboard in 2018, and at the time was applauded by fans for his bravery and approach to life.
“I’m a pretty happy person,” he said. “The loss we’ve dealt with has given me an appreciation of how precious and fragile life is. And yes, I carry that mentality into my performances, and even into how I deal with people every day. when I meet people, I want them to leave going, ‘That guy doesn’t have a bad day.’”
He further reflected on his approach to life in his docuseries My Dirt Road Bike. He reflected on a moment during a meet-and greet, and said: “I believe we were in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a typical meet and greet.
“This little blonde-headed boy walks up to me; he goes, ‘Can I ask you a question?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah, buddy,’ and I got down on one knee and he looks at me and he goes, ‘I wanna know how you get through every day, having lost your brother and your sister, because I lost my sister and I can’t get over it. My heart’s broken.’”
“It was a big moment for me because I understood that the way I live, with a smile on my face, is important to people. It was a big moment for me. I’ll never forget it.”
Luke’s brother Chris lost his life in a car accident in 1996 when the singer was preparing to pursue his music career in Nashville.
His sister Kelly, meanwhile, passed away of unknown causes in 2007. “They never determined what happened. The autopsies, the coroner, no one could figure it out,” Luke shared with People in 2013.
“It forever altered my mother’s belief systems. I’ll get random calls from her when she’s having bad days. One day, she’s missing my brother, one day, she’s missing my sister, and one day, she wants to be around me more, because I’m all she’s got left.
“We give Mama the benefit of the doubt on stuff. She has suffered a lot of pain as a mother, losing two children,” Luke shared while speaking to Billboard.
