Nick Cave: Moving words about his son’s death

Moving words from Nick Cave (67). On the tenth anniversary of his son Arthur (2000-2015), – and gives an insight into a healing process that continues to this day. “The pain remains, but I found that it will develop over time,” writes the Australian rock singer in his contribution.

Arthur Cave died on July 14, 2015 at the age of only 15 when falling from a cliff in Brighton. Ten years later, Nick Cave describes how his grief has changed over time: “The grief blooms with age – it becomes less of a personal insult, less a cosmic betrayal and more about a poetic quality of being,” writes the 67 -year -old.

What initially appears to be unbearable suffering has turned into something else over the years. “Grief becomes richer, deeper and more structured. He feels more interesting, more creative and lovelily.” The pain that he and his wife Susie experienced was not unique – and that was exactly what comforted. “I started to recognize the immense value and the potential of our humanity,” he writes.

Cave also reveals details about his wife Susie. While her dreams of Arthur were terrible moments with shame and tears in the first few years, they would have changed fundamentally. Today Arthur visits her in a dream every week – always about ten years old: “Sometimes she laces his shoes. Sometimes she combs her hair. Sometimes he crawls on her lap and puts his arms around her neck.”

Cave concludes his letter with a paradoxical but comforting knowledge: “Here we are still, a decade later, and live in the bright heart of the trauma.” This place is the point “where all thoughts and dreams come together and where all hope and all grief live”.

Particularly dramatic: Another son of Nick Cave died much too early. Jethro Lazenby (1991-2022), musician and model, died at the age of only 31. Overall, Nick Cave became four times: Jethro came from an out -of -marital relationship with the model Beau Lazenby. Just like his eldest son Luke Cave (31), Jethro was born during his first marriage to Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro, who was divorced in 1996.

With his second wife Susi Bick (58, today’s Cave), a well -known English designer and former catwalk model, Nick Cave also has his twin brother Earl (25) in addition to the late Arthur. The couple got to know each other in 1997 and married about a year later.