Nick Cave has openly discussed the profound grief he has experienced following the tragic deaths of two of his children over the past decade. The 66-year-old Australian musician suffered the devastating loss of his 15-year-old son, Arthur, in 2015 when the teenager died after falling off a cliff in England. Tragedy struck again in 2022 when Cave’s eldest son, Jethro, passed away at the age of 31.
Cave is set to share his journey through these losses in a new episode of ABC’s Australian Story. A promotional clip for the episode features the “Where the Wild Roses Grow” singer reflecting, “I’m sorry this is actually quite difficult to talk about.” He also discusses how the experience of loss has altered his perspective on life and art, stating, “That idea that art trounces everything, it just doesn’t apply to me any more. There was this kind of rushing in of meaning that came into that void.”
Nick Cave Discusses the Impact of Losing Two Sons
The full interview is scheduled to air on Australia’s ABC channel on Monday at 8 p.m. AEDT.
In a previous interview with The Guardian, Cave addressed his grief, saying, “I think it’s something that people who lose children feel regardless of the situation, simply because the one thing you’re supposed to do is not let your children die. Forget that. The one thing you’re supposed to do is protect your children.”
Cave has experienced these losses amid his personal life journey. He married Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro in 1990, and they welcomed a son named Luke in 1991. The couple later divorced in 1996. Jethro, who was born 10 months before Luke in 1991, was the son of Cave and his ex-girlfriend Beau Lazenby. Jethro died in May 2022, shortly after being released from jail and diagnosed with schizophrenia. Cave’s second wife, Susie Bick, whom he married in 1999, is the mother of twin sons Arthur and Earl, born in 2000. Arthur’s untimely death in 2015 marked a significant loss for the family.
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