Melissa Etheridge's Son Beckett Cypher: What to Know

Melissa Etheridge is mourning the loss of son Beckett Cypher after he died at the age of 21 earlier this week as the result of an opioid addiction. The award-winning singer-songwriter revealed Wednesday that she had lost her youngest child, sharing a heartbreaking statement on social media.

"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," she wrote. "He will be missed by those who loved him, his family and friends. My heart is broken. I am grateful for those who have reached out with condolences and I feel their love and sincere grief. 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's family hasn't revealed any further details about the circumstances surrounding Beckett's death, but big sister Bailey Cypher, 23, shared her own heartbroken tribute on social media after news broke. "I don't know what to say," she wrote. "Today we lost my brother. Too heartbroken and overwhelmed to be eloquent but appreciate all those who have reached out. I love you, Beckett. Fly high and watch over us."

Beckett was born to Etheridge and Julie Cypher, who had two children together before splitting up in 2000. The pair first welcomed daughter Bailey in February of 1997 and son Beckett in 1998 after conceiving via artificial insemination. The pair was open about their motherhood journey, revealing later that they had asked friend and singer David Crosby to be their children's biological father. In 2016, Etheridge revealed she had considered asking Brad Pitt to donate his sperm, but settled on Crosby because Pitt was still looking to have his own children: "It's one of the reasons why David Crosby and his wife are so perfect — because they already had children, They were looking to do this as a gift," she said.

Even after Cypher and Etheridge split, the two continued to co-parent. When Etheridge and Crosby appeared on 60 Minutes in 2000, the singer explained, "I do not believe that my children will be wanting in any way because they didn't have a father in the home every single day. What they have in the home is two loving parents. I think that puts them ahead of the game."