Christian rapper TobyMac grapples with 21-year-old son's sudden death in heartbreaking new song '21 Years'

On October 23, 2019, paramedics were called to the family home on reports of a cardiac arrest and Truett Foster McKeehan was pronounced dead on their arrival
PUBLISHED JAN 11, 2020
TobyMac (Getty Images)
TobyMac (Getty Images)

Christian singer TobyMac shared his grief his 21-year-old son Truett Foster McKeehan's death this past October with a new song and music video  titled '21 Years.'

“The last couple of months have been the hardest I’ve ever faced, thank you for the love and support. Part of my process has always been to write about the things I’m going through, but this went to a whole new level. What started out as getting some of my thoughts and feelings about losing my firstborn son down on paper, ended up a song. ’21 Years’ is a song I never wanted to write. I hope it’s for someone out there, or maybe it’s just for me," the singer wrote on Instagram shortly before the music video released Friday morning.



 

The lyrics include personal details of the relationship he and his son Truett's shared.

TobyMac expressed how much he would be missing of his son's talent with the lyrics, “listen to your latest beats / Talk about what the lyrics mean / Venmo you another loan / See you do your 2nd show.”

Truett was an aspiring rapper, and TobyMac had recently seen his son's public performance in Franklin, Tennessee, before leaving to stick to planned tour dates. He was away when he's son passed.

On October 23, 2019, paramedics were called to the family home on reports of a cardiac arrest and Truett was pronounced dead on their arrival. With autopsy results expected to take 6-8 weeks, police had no suspicion of foul play or suicide. Nashville authorities have yet to release a cause of death.

In another Instagram post, on Friday morning, Toby Mac posted, “Writing this song felt like an honest confession of the questions, pain, anger, doubt, mercy, and promise that describes the journey I’m probably only beginning. The rest is yet to come. One thing I know is that I am not alone. God didn’t promise us a life of no pain or even tragic death, but He did promise He would never leave us or forsake us. And I’m holding dearly to that promise for my son as well as myself.”

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