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Melissa Etheridge's son Beckett Cypher dead at 21

Opioid addiction was behind Cypher's death, the singer announced.

LOS ANGELES — Melissa Etheridge revealed Wednesday that her son Beckett Cypher has died.

Etheridge released a statement saying opioid addiction was behind Cypher's death.

“Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction,” the statement said. “My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today.”

No further details on the death were revealed, but the Denver Medical Examiner confirmed he died in Denver. The medical examiner added that an autopsy was performed and the cause of death is pending investigation.  

Hours earlier, Etheridge's Twitter account had announced the death of Cypher, one of two children the 58-year-old singer had with former partner Julie Cypher, conceived with sperm from Rock & Roll Hall of Famer David Crosby.

The daily Facebook Live concert Etheridge has been giving during the coronavirus outbreak was canceled.

“My heart is broken,” Etheridge's statement said. “We struggle with what else we could have done to save him, and in the end we know he is out of the pain now. I will sing again, soon. It has always healed me.”

Etheridge and Julie Cypher had a daughter, Bailey Jean Cypher, in 1997. Beckett Cypher was born the following year. The couple split in 2000.

Etheridge, a 58-year-old Grammy winner, singer-songwriter and activist, also has 13-year-old twins.

Crosby retweeted a news story announcing the death, but he has not commented.

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Credit: Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP
Melissa Etheridge performs in concert during her "Medicine Show Tour" at The American Music Theatre on Monday, May 6, 2019, in Lancaster, Pa. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)

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