David Crosby devastated by death of Mellisa Etheridge's son he helped conceive by sperm donation
Grieving David Crosby has addressed to the tragic death Melissa Etheridge's son, Beckett Cypher, who died at the age of 21 due to opioid addiction. The 78-year-old Crosby had donated his sperm to Melissa Etheridge and ex-partner Julie Cypher to help them conceive Beckett and his sister Bailey. The untraditional family revealed this in a 2000 issue of Rolling Stone.
Crosby made several short statements on Wednesday, May 13, soon after Etheridge shared the sad news on her official Twitter account. In one of his messages, Crosby also made it clear that he had been active in his son's life.
However, one user commented: "I respectfully point out, David was their donor. They did not have a son 'with' him. He was Melissa and Julie's child. They raised him. Like most donors, he played no other part." To this, Crosby replied: “Not true”.
Both sisters of Crosby, Patricia and Rosanna Arquette, responded to his tweet with comforting words. as Patricia wrote, “I am sending you all love during this very difficult time. May he move through the light and know how loved he is.” On the other hand, Rosanna said: “I’m so Sorry DAVID for this devastating loss and send you and the rest of the family love. Rest In Peace Beckett."
When another social media user sent their condolences and said, “While I know that you were a surrogate, I also know that you just lost a son. I’m sorry, I know you’ve had a rough year,” Crosby wrote back: “Maybe it’s a test.”
The ‘Here If You Listen’ singer also shared his doubts whether his former ‘Crosby, Stills & Nash’ bandmates will put their differences aside and reach out to him following the tragedy. When a fan asked him, “@thedavidcrosby Wonder if even one of the CSN&Y guys will reach out to you regarding the loss of Beckett. Sure would hope that all have enough class and respect to do so. But won’t hold my breath,” Crosby tweeted back, saying: “I doubt it but ...you never know."
The differences between Crosby and his bandmates started almost since the band's inception in the late 1860s. They hit a rough patch for the first time after a tumultuous tour in 1970 and through the years would reunite on-and-off, often meeting only two or three of the members together at a time.
This comes after Etheridge broke the sad news of Cypher’s passing away on social media. "We’re sad to inform you that Melissa’s son Beckett passed away and there will not be a Concerts From Home show today," the 58-year-old’s tweet said.
The ‘I’m The Only One’ singer later released a statement that read, “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. 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 pain now. I will sing again soon, it has always healed me," she added.