Luke Bryan ‘Never Thought Twice’ About Adopting His Nieces and Nephew
Country music star Luke Bryan might have a big smile on his face, but he’s seen more than his fair share of tragedy in life. Specifically, he lost his brother Chris in a car accident in 2000 and then his sister seven years later.
But good can come out of every bad situation. Even though Bryan lost his family members, he gained more kids in his own immediate family because of it.
Luke Bryan adopted his nieces and nephews without hesitation
In a 2017 interview with ABC News, the “Knockin’ Boots” singer revealed that everyone in the extended family dealt with their grief differently. And it didn’t help that the hits just kept coming.
“Just when we started picking up the pieces with my brother, then my sister — we lose my sister,” he told Robin Roberts. “I’ve watched my family go through ebbs and flows where we get mad at God and we get mad at why this happened.”
Things went from bad to worse when his sister’s widower Ben Cheshire also died in 2014. But Bryan didn’t have any reservations about welcoming his nieces and nephew into his home following the tragedy. “We never thought twice about it,” Bryan’s wife Caroline said during the interview. “You know, it was never something that he and I had to sit down and talk about. ‘Should we take this on?’ We just did that.”
Luckily, both were on the same page when it came to adopting the three kids.
The Bryan family had to adapt to a fuller house
At the time of their adoption, Tilden (“Til”) was a teenager and Jordan and Kris were both in college. Bryan admitted that adapting to having a teenager in the house wasn’t easy.
“We’re buddies now, though, kinda,” Bryan said. “Until he makes me … that’s when I get onto him, I’m like, ‘All right, you’re making me be an adult; don’t make me be an adult!’
Bryan and his wife already had two sons — Thomas (2008) and Tatum (2010).
Luke Bryan and his wife support multiple charities
Besides the selfless act of adopting his sister’s kids, Bryan and his wife are also giving in other aspects of their lives. Their niece Sadie Brett died at just 7 months old and the couple created a barn filled with rescue animals in her honor.
“Brett’s Barn,” which his located on the Bryans’ personal property, is both a respite for rescue animals and a place for ill children to spend quality time. The Bryans also donate money to Down’s syndrome and congenital heart disease charities.
Bryan is forging forward with a good attitude
Even though his family has experienced so many tragic deaths, Bryan insists that he still believes life is beautiful. As he said during the interview, “You keep going and you try to, try to be as positive as you can, and you try to appreciate every day.”
He continued, saying, “You’ll never get back to 100 percent. You’ll always be working to get back to 75 percent.”
