Nick Cave’s son Jethro Lazenby died earlier this month at the age of 31. The venerable songwriter has asked for privacy as his family grapples with this unimaginable loss, but he did publish a letter on his website The Red Hand Files to thank fans for their condolences.
He began as he often does, with a letter from a longtime listener. “Dear Nick,” Teresa from Uralla, Australia, wrote, “I have no question for you today. I just wanted to send my heartfelt condolences on the tragic loss of Jethro. All I can do is offer the collective love of all who read your letters. Much love to you and all your family.”
Cave responded, “Dear Teresa, Thank you for your letter. Many others have written to me about Jethro, sending condolences and kind words. These letters are a great source of comfort and I’d like to thank all of you for your support.”
He added, “I’ll be back to The Red Hand Files in a few weeks. Love, Nick.”
Jethro was Cave’s son with Beau Lazenby, and no cause of death has been made public. In 2015, Cave lost his son Arthur after he fell from a cliff. That grief inspired his last two albums with The Bad Seeds, 2016’s Skeleton Tree and 2019’s Ghosteen.