Luke Bryan’s Family Has Had More Than Their Share of Tragedy

Country singer Luke Bryan has had more than his share of family tragedy. He lost his older brother Chris in a car accident, His sister, Kelly, passed away unexpectedly in 2007 and her husband, Ben Lee Cheshire, died in 2014. To add to the sadness, Bryan lost his niece, Sadie Brett Boyer, to a liver infection on Tuesday.

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Boyer was related to Bryan on his wife Caroline’s side. She was the child of Caroline’s brother and was born in the summer of 2016. The baby girl was challenged not only with the liver infection, but she battled cardiac issues as well in her young life.

According to her mother Ellen’s Facebook page, she fought through dialysis, seizures and feeding tubes. She was a tough baby who truly was a warrior.

Bryan is showing a brave face on social media and thanking his fans for their consistent support and prayers for his family. It’s hard to imagine how he feels with so much loss in his life.

We thank all of you for your prayers. Love y'all.

— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) February 21, 2017

In a 2013 20/20 feature, Bryan shared that he was days away from leaving home for Nashville when his brother was killed.

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“My older brother, Chris, was unexpectedly killed in a… car accident,” Bryan said. “I’m kind of hyperventilating talking about it… You never truly… move beyond it.”

That life-changing moment altered the course of his life. Bryan decided to go to college while working on his father’s farm and keeping up with his music career at night. He felt like it was his family duty to step up in his brother’s absence.

Bryan eventually went to Nashville to pursue his career. He played at the Grand Ole Opry in 2007 with his sister organizing a large group from his hometown to cheer him on from the audience. Tragically, she died just days later at her home. Her death still remains a mystery.

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“My only older siblings… gone from the world, in a flash in two, two different, crazy, tragic manners, that… we’ll never know, and never understand,” he told ABC News.

Seven years later, his sister’s husband died and Bryan and his wife are now raising their nephew, Tilden.

Throughout it all, Bryan has maintained a fresh perspective when it comes to dealing with grief.

“You can lean on friends and family through it… and you can get back life,” He said, “If me telling my story moves people down a positive path of hope and getting up out of the bed and getting back going, then, you know, it’s certainly worth telling.”