Up Next
Nick Cave got choked up as he revealed how his outlook on life has changed after the deaths of his two sons.
The Bad Seeds frontman, 66, appeared overcome with emotion in a teaser for a new interview after losing children Arthur, aged just 15, and Jethro, 31, in the last nine years.
‘I’m sorry this is actually quite difficult to talk about,’ he said in a promo for a special Australian Story interview.
Arthur died in 2015 after taking LSD for the first time and falling almost 20 metres off a cliff near his home in Brighton.
Seven years later, Jethro – who had schizophrenia and battled drug addiction – died just two days after being released from jail, and two months after he violently assaulted his mother, Beau Lazenby.
Nick admitted his previous outlook on life, where art was his main priority, ‘collapsed completely’ after the death of Arthur, who he welcomed alongside twin Earl in 2000 with wife Susie Cave.
‘That idea that art trounces everything, it just doesn’t apply to me anymore,’ he said, while describing himself as a ‘husband’, ‘father’, ‘grandfather’ and ‘person of the world’.
He added: ‘These things are much more important to me than the concept of being an artist.’
‘I was in awe of my own genius,’ he explained. ‘I just saw the folly of that… disgraceful sort of self-indulgence.’
He previously opened up on his grief, and described loss as ‘a deepening element’ which can bring ‘incredible meaning into our life’.
‘We eventually absorb, or rearrange ourselves, so that we become creatures of loss as we get older; this is part of our fundamental fabric of what we are as human beings,’ he told The Guardian.
‘This is not a tragic element to our lives but rather a deepening element and that brings incredible meaning into our life.
‘I’ve found that personally, and I think a lot of other people have found that, provided you can remain open.’
And he admitted ‘there can’t help but be feelings of culpability’ over his sons’ deaths, because it is ‘against nature’ for a parent to be forced to bury their child.
Hot Property Picks from Metro
-
What I Rent: As a Bake Off finalist, my £2,800 a month flat has more ovens than bedrooms
-
The 'quaint' London borough where you'll find the cheapest rent
-
What I Own: At 25, I own two homes — including my £158,000 Glasgow bolthole
-
The details we're drawn to when viewing a property — and they're not what you think
-
Map shows the average first-time buyer deposit around the UK
‘I think it’s something that people who lose children feel regardless of the situation,’ he said. ‘Simply because the one thing you’re supposed to do is not let your children die.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
