Luke Bryan raising his 13-year-old nephew following brother-in-law's death
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Luke Bryan opened up for the first time about his decision to raise his nephew following the unexpected death of his brother-in-law Ben Lee Cheshire in November.
Cheshire was married to Bryan's sister Kelly, who died in 2007 of unknown causes, and the couple shared three children. The country singer and his wife Caroline are now raising their 13-year-old nephew Til along with their sons Bo, 6, and Tate, 4 in Nashville. Til's older sisters visit their brother frequently, Bryan said.
"We feel like if we just stay positive through this, maybe we'll be a positive inspiration for people that had these things happen to 'em," Bryan told ABC News. "You just have to plow on and play the hand that's dealt."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bryan, who recently announced a new Spring Break album and his Kick Up The Dust tour, admitted the change is most difficult on his wife while he's busy with his career.
"We're exhausted at the end of the day, especially [Caroline] from the new things that are going on in our life," the 38-year-old shared.
This isn't the first tragedy to strike the "I See You" singer's family. Bryan's older brother Chris died in a car accident at 26 in 1996.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have chalked it up to this," Bryan told ABC in 2013 after opening up about his older siblings' deaths. "It is just running on pure faith and understanding that God gave us Chris and Kelly for an amount of time...God said Chris Byran has 26 years, Kelly Cheshire has 39 years and ultimately, I can't question that."
Besides receiving support from Til's two older sisters, Bryan said his country music family has rallied around him.
Bryan was set to perform at the CMT Artists of the Year special but canceled his performance to attend his brother-in-law's funeral. Lady Antebellum and Chris Stapelton performed his hit "Drink A Beer," in his place. The song holds a lot of meaning for Bryan who recorded it in memory of his only siblings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That night we were, as a family, watching all of that on TV and watching Lady A and Stapleton sing that," he recalled. "It was a big-time healing moment."