Nick Cave Reflects on the Tragic Deaths of His Two Sons

Nick Cave has opened up about the profound grief he has experienced following the tragic deaths of his two sons in recent years.

The “Red Right Hand” singer’s son Arthur passed away in 2015 at the age of 15 after a fall from a cliff near the family’s Brighton home. Arthur suffered a fatal brain injury upon falling onto an overpass at Ovingdean Gap after taking LSD for the first time with a friend. The cause of death was cited as “multiple traumatic injuries due to a fall from a height.”

In 2022, Cave experienced another devastating loss with the death of his older son, Jethro, who was 31 years old. Jethro, whom Cave shared with model Beau Lazenby, passed away under circumstances that deeply impacted the musician once again.

During an interview with Leigh Sales for ABC’s Australian Story, Cave shared how these tragedies have altered his perspective on life and art. At 66, Cave admitted he no longer sees art as the overarching priority it once was for him. “That idea that art trounces everything, it just doesn’t apply to me anymore,” he said in a preview clip of the interview. Overcome with emotion, Cave apologized, noting the difficulty he faces when discussing his loss.

Having once expressed that singing about rage had “lost its allure” after his sons’ deaths, Cave explained that his grief has made him feel more deeply connected to others. “Rather than making me bitter, it did the opposite in some way. It made me much more connected to people in general,” he stated. Cave described the transformative impact of grief as an evolution into “creatures of loss,” suggesting that it is a fundamental part of the human experience that brings profound meaning rather than sheer tragedy.

Earlier this year, Cave opened up to The Guardian about how the public nature of his tragedy forced him to confront his grief openly. He acknowledged that being in the public eye prevented him from isolating himself in a dark, private world. “I was forced to grieve publicly – and that was helpful, weirdly enough,” Cave revealed. This public grieving process, according to Cave, kept him from “shutting the windows and bolting the doors” in the face of his overwhelming sorrow.

Cave also spoke about the overwhelming support and messages of love he received after Arthur’s death, which played a crucial role in his coping process. He recounted receiving numerous letters simply addressed to “Nick Cave, Brighton,” marking it as an extraordinary testament to community support. “That attention, and sense of community, was extremely helpful to me,” Cave emphasized.

Continuing, Cave highlighted how unique his situation was in contrast to others who experience profound loss. He mentioned his wife Susie’s encounter with a person whose son had died seven years earlier and had never spoken to her husband about it, underscoring how many people deal with such grief alone and often full of rage. Cave recognized the extraordinary privilege he felt in receiving such an outpouring of support, allowing him to navigate his grief with a sense of community.

Source: Australian Story, The Guardian