Blake Shelton ‘Can’t Accept’ Death of Songwriter and Producer Busbee

Songwriter and producer Busbee recently passed away at age 43 after reportedly being diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year, with the news of his death first reported on Sunday. Early on Monday, Blake Shelton reflected on Busbee’s passing by tweeting a tribute to the writer, who Shelton said was a friend of both himself and Gwen Stefani.

“I absolutely can’t accept the loss of mine and Gwen’s friend Michael (Busbee),” he wrote. “Too much to say for social media. Too much pain and unfairness period. I guess sometimes you gotta dig extra EXTRA deep for peace to continue to have faith. And I will because Michael ALWAYS had faith.”

Busbee had co-written Shelton’s song “Every Goodbye” from The Voice coach’s 2016 album If I’m Honest. He also produced Stefani’s Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, alongside the mom of three and co-wrote all six of the original songs on the project. Along with Shelton and Stefani, Busbee had worked with artists including Maren Morris, Carly Pearce, Florida Georgia Line, Pink, Shakira, Lady Antebellum, Timbaland, Lauren Alaina, Cassadee Pope, Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean and more.

A friend of Busbee’s told Variety that the producer, real name Michael James Ryan, was undergoing treatment for Glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, after being diagnosed over the summer. Busbee leaves behind wife Jessie and three children, including a newborn daughter.

Along with Shelton, artists including Morris, Pearce, Pope and more offered tributes to Busbee on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Getty / Terry Wyatt