Eric Church spoke about a wide range of his experiences with grief during a new appearance on Anderson Cooper’s All There Is podcast last week.
Some of the traumatic instances he discussed were collective grieving experiences. He spoke about the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting as well as the 2023 mass shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School, which happened close to the school that Church’s own children were attending.
But one of the instances he brought up was a devastating personal loss that he hasn’t spoken about much. That was the death of his brother Brandon, who died in 2018 at just 36 years old.
Read More: Eric Church’s Brother, Brandon Church, Has Died
Church admits he tends to “bury stuff like that” when it comes to grief emotions, and that he’s had to learn to talk more openly about what he’s feeling during those difficult times.
The singer also says he regrets not letting his two children be a part of one of his rawest moments after his brother’s death.
Eric Church Shares What He Regrets About How He Handles His Brother’s Death With His Kids
In the interview, Church admits it was a “mistake” not to bring his children to Brandon’s funeral. They were about seven and five years old at the time.
“We left them back with a relative,” he recounts. “At the time, it sounded like the exact right thing to do. ‘Cause I was a wreck. I was a mess. My family was a mess.”
In hindsight, though, he wishes the two boys had been able to be the adults in their lives navigating that grief.
“I look back on it now and sometimes it’s good for a child, if they’re in that age, to see everybody hurting, to see the life changing, to see what that death is,” Church continues. “So that’s one thing I regret. If I could go back, I would do that different.”
Eric Church Shares What He Regrets About His Relationship With His Late Brother
Church’s brother died of “consequences of chronic alcoholism,” according to an autopsy report that was subsequently released.
He suffered seizures before he died, which the autopsy revealed as “alcohol withdrawal-induced seizure disorder.”
Read More: Eric Church’s Brother’s Cause of Death Revealed
In his new podcast appearance, Church alluded to the struggles that his brother was going through before he died, and recalls that Brandon spoke to him about what he was feeling.
Now, the singer says he regrets the way he reacted during that conversation.
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“I did a little bit of the, ‘You’re not doing the things you’re supposed to be doing,’ and it was a little bit of the ‘tough love,’ big brother thing. I wish I’d had more grace and been more compassionate, now.
“But at the time, you think, ‘Oh, come on, get your s–t together.’ I regret that now,” Church reflects.
Eric Church Still Feels His Late Brother’s Presence — And His Grief is Ongoing
Church said he feels his late brother’s presence often, especially when he’s performing onstage. The singer has written and performed songs about Brandon, some of which, he says, will never be recorded.
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He also says that his grief over that loss still comes in strong, unpredictable waves.
“It’s been eight years, and those things will come out of nowhere,” the singer reflects.
“I just don’t see it coming. That train’s not coming. And there it is,” he continues. “…You would think, after five, six, seven years, that wouldn’t happen, or they would be less frequent. But I’ve found that they’ve been more frequent over the last few years.”
Country Stars Who Suffered Unthinkable Tragedy
Not all country stars came by their storytelling ability naturally. Sadly, many singers have encountered great tragedies in their lives, or have overcome sharp odds to get where they are today. Many have battled unbearable, unimaginable pain.
