Jethro Lazenby, Actor and Nick Cave’s Son, Dead at 31

Jethro Lazenby, the son of Nick Cave, has died. Lazenby, who worked as an actor and model, was 31 at the time of his passing. Tragically, the news comes seven years after Cave’s son and Lazenby’s half-brother Arthur died after falling from a cliff, per The Sun. 

Cave released a statement to confirm Lazenby’s passing. His message read, “With much sadness, I can confirm that my son, Jethro, has passed away. We would be grateful for family privacy at this time.” His cause of death has not been revealed. According to The Guardian, Cave and Lavenby’s relationship didn’t get off to the best start. Lazenby was born to Cave and Beau Lazenby in 1991. Ten days after his birth, Cave’s first wife, Viviane Carneiro, gave birth to the couple’s son Luke. In an interview conducted in 2012, Lazenby commented on his relationship with his father, saying, “It didn’t start off that great, having all this s— with my dad and being in his shadow.”

Lazenby grew up in Australia and didn’t end up meeting Cave until he was seven or eight years old. While speaking to a journalist in 2008, the singer spoke about this early period of estrangement from his son. He said, “It was a difficult time, but it turned out great in the end. To my eternal regret, I didn’t make much contact with Jethro in the early years, but I now have a great relationship with him.”

In later years, Lazenby enjoyed a burgeoning modeling career and worked for brands such as Versace and Balenciaga. Additionally, he has starred in films including 2007’s Corroboree and 2011’s My Little Princess, the latter of which starred Isabelle Humpert. However, he also found himself involved in a fair amount of legal trouble. Lazenby was convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2008. More recently, in April, the model was found guilty of unlawful assault after he had attacked his mother the previous month. After the incident, he was jailed and released at some point last weekend. Lazenby was reportedly ordered to avoid contact with his mother for two years. Amid the ordeal, his lawyer revealed that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. 

Several sources spoke to The Sun about the news of Lazenby’s passing. One individual said, “Nick Cave’s son Jethro has passed away. I can’t conceive of a person who maintains such faith in the world in the face of such personal tragedies. How terribly sad.” Another stated, “Nick Cave has just shared that his son Jethro has died. I am absolutely heartbroken for that family.”