News has broken that Beckett Cypher, the 21-year-old son of Grammy award winner and nominee Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher, has died at the age of 21. His mother was the first to announce the news, revealing that her young son’s death came as part of the opioid crisis in the United States.
Melissa Etheridge had a planned concert from home on Wednesday of this week that was ultimately abruptly cancelled in a message posted by her team to Twitter. The singer later revealed on social media in a message to her fans that this was due to losing her young son Beckett Cypher following a battle with addiction. The emotional post read:
Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction. My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today. He will be missed by those who loved him, his family and friends. Me heart is broken. I am grateful for those who have reached out with condolences and I feel their love and sincere grief.
The opioid epidemic has become a crisis in American life. In 2017, more than 70,000 peope died from drug overdoses and of those, 68% were related to opioids according to information from the CDC. It's become enough of a problem in American life that awareness ads about heroin use and other issues have permeated events like the Super Bowl and more. Even major celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis have admitted to dealing with previous problems with opioids.
Knowing there's a problem likely doesn't make it any easier for families dealing with opioid addiction. Beckett Cypher was one of three kids Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher in the nineties. Kids growing up in the early 2000s are just now approaching the age where they are making their way in the world. Beckett Cypher was only 21 at the time of his death. It's devastating. I doubt it's something his family and friends will ever really get over.
Melissa Etheridge did go on to say in the post about her son's death that the struggle will always be there, but I hope she can grieve and get past the point where she blames a small part of herself and can move on. She also noted:
We struggle with what else we could have done to save him, and in the end we know he is out of pain now. I will sing again soon. It has always healed me.
It's been a hard year for everyone. There's been death seemingly around every corner, but anytime a young life such as Beckett's is snuffed out, it hits particularly hard. Our condolences go out to Melissa Etheridge, her former partner Julie Cypher and the rest of the family at this time.
