Melissa Etheridge, who rose to prominence as a rock musician in the 1980s, has been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ community – having come out as a lesbian in 1993. The following year, she went public with her relationship with film director Julie Cypher in an exclusive interview with The Advocate in July 1994.
In that interview, Etheridge expressed wanting to become a parent, adding that a lot of the ‘fears people have about homosexuality is around children.’ Nonetheless, she believed ‘the more gay parents raise good, strong, compassionate people, the better the world will be.’ Keep in mind, that was 30 years ago.
Etheridge and Cypher announced their separation in September 2000, but not before bringing two children into this world – a daughter named Bailey in 1997 and a son named Beckett in 1998. And while Cypher was the one who carried them, it was famous musician David Crosby who donated his sperm.
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That gift from David Crosby was one of the many reasons why Melissa Etheridge cherished her friendship with the late musician and why she was so devastated to hear of his passing – Crosby died on January 18th at the age of 81. Etheridge paid tribute to her dear, longtime friend in a touching Instagram caption.
“I am grieving the loss of my friend, and Bailey’s and Beckett’s biological father, David. He gave me the gift of family. I will forever be grateful to him, Django, and Jan. His music and legacy will inspire many generations to come. A true treasure,” said Melissa Etheridge, who shared a photo of the two.
The death of David Crosby was revealed and confirmed by his wife, Jan Dance – the two have been married since 1987 and share one child together. Crosby also has three other children from previous relationships. He was best known as a founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
“He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music,” wrote Dance in a statement originally published by Variety on January 19th.
Crosby’s Death Comes 2 Years After Melissa Etheridge Lost Her Son
On May 13, 2020, Melissa Etheridge announced the death of her son, Beckett, one of the two children conceived with Julie Cypher and David Crosby. Beckett was addicted to opioid drugs, which contributed to his cause of death – he was just 21 years old at the time. It was a harrowing moment for her family.
“I am grateful for those who have reached out with condolences and I feel their love and sincere grief. We struggle with what else we could have done to save him, and in the end, we know he is out of the pain now,” she wrote on Twitter, adding that she now joins the long list of others who lost loved ones to opioids.
As news spread of Beckett’s death, comments started to roll in – some positive and others negative. One comment insinuated that Crosby was nothing more than a donor to the children and ‘played no other part’ in the children’s lives. The tweet was quickly deleted at the time, but not before David Crosby responded.
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“Not True,” he wrote in a reply. In a separate tweet, he responded to a user who wondered if his bandmates would reach out to him after hearing about the loss – “I doubt it but … you never know,” replied Crosby. The two are now in a better place together – our hearts go out to all families involved.
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