The singer Melissa Etheridge was faced with an unimaginable tragedy back in May when her 21 year-old son Beckett died of a drug overdose after years of battling addiction. In a new interview on Friday with Tamron Hall, Etheridge revealed why she decided to be so open about her son’s death and addiction.
“I wanted to share it, but I knew that this was his life and I didn’t want to draw any attention to him,” Etheridge said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “But when he passed away, it became something, I knew once I announced it, it would be in the world.”
“I have always walked my path openly and I make mistakes,” she added. “I’m up and down, but I do the best I can and maybe showing the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers how to, not understand, but how to walk and live with shame and guilt and the stigma that opioid addiction can bring into a family, if we can put it out in front and go, ‘Wow, this is a really big problem and there aren’t any easy answers. And let’s all come together and put some light on this.'”
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Hall and Etheridge also talked about the fact that the biological father and sperm donor for Beckett and his older sister Bailey was David Crosby, who previously battled drug and alcohol addiction. Etheridge discussed whether she feared that Crosby’s physical struggles would affect her children.
“I didn’t want to blame genetics. I know we have predispositions,” she explained. “My oldest daughter who’s about two years older than Beckett, is extremely successful, graduated from Columbia University, going to, getting her Master’s at the London School of Economics. So the genes are there, but the choices then are the individual’s to make and Beckett just, kind of, made the choices that made it harder and harder for him.”
In the four months since Beckett died, Etheridge has been dealing with her grief through her music. After concerts were cancelled due to COVID-19, Etheridge built a studio at her home, and she has been using it to perform for her fans weekly.
“Knowing that maybe there’s one person out there who’s confused or needing something and they get something from what we’re doing, that makes it all worthwhile,” Etheridge said of her virtual concerts.
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.
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