Paul Morigi/Getty Images for National GeographicFor the first time since her son’s tragic death, Melissa Etheridge is ready to open up about what she’s been through, and how she’s been coping.
“Time does heal. It’s only been a couple of months, but I’ve been very busy and made myself very busy,” Etheridge told ABC’s Good Morning America on Tuesday. “You go one day at a time — you get through the grief and you get to the healing.”
It’s been two months since the singer shared on Twitter that her 21-year-old son, Beckett, died from opioid addiction.
“As a parent, you know your children have their own lives and make their own choices — but you just can’t help to feel responsible, of course, for them,” Etheridge told GMA‘s Robin Roberts.
Etheridge shared that Beckett, who’s one of two children Etheridge had with former partner Julie Cypher, was first introduced to painkillers after he broke his ankle during a snowboarding incident. That led to a downward spiral.
“I tried to help… you do everything you can because you’re a parent,” Etheridge said. “He made these choices and he was a young adult. I couldn’t save him — only he could save him.”
Now, to honor her son’s life, the singer-songwriter is moving forward by bringing awareness to the dangers of drug addiction and helping fund research programs through the Etheridge Foundation.
Melissa’s also been using music to help her heal. She launched “Etheridge TV,” which features live concerts and “chat shows” delivered from her makeshift garage studio.
“It’s a way to connect to people. It’s, of course, healing for me — but mostly to connect with my fans,” she said. “…There are people who are still suffering and I want to give them relief in this crazy world that we are in right now.”
By Nicole Curtis & Angeline Jane Bernabe
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