Luke Bryan reveals his sister’s cause of death 18 years after mysterious family tragedy

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Luke Bryan recently shared more information about the unexpected passing of his sister, Kelly Bryan, who died in 2007 at the age of 39.

I just listened to the newest episode of Anderson Cooper’s podcast, and it featured a really interesting conversation with a 49-year-old country music star. It was great to hear their thoughts!

He admitted he hadn’t fully shared what happened with his sister. He explained there’s inaccurate information online, and people have speculated about it, even suggesting they tried to hide the truth.

I was really struck by what Luke said about Kelly’s passing. He explained that, sadly, very few people actually die from completely unexplained causes – it’s a rare occurrence, which I found both heartbreaking and strangely comforting to know.

They called my sister’s death Sudden Death Syndrome, which is what happened – she was simply doing laundry at home when it was like a switch was flipped, and she was gone. It was a devastating and heartbreaking loss.

When asked how long it took to diagnose his sister, the singer explained they were eager for answers because of many uncertainties.

We were trying to find out if there was a family history of a condition that her children might have inherited.

Luke explained that a typical autopsy for someone around Kelly’s age – the late 30s – would usually look for causes like an aneurysm, embolism, or blood clot.

However, his older sibling’s results came back ‘inconclusive.’

She suffered a significant injury to the bone around her eye. It’s possible she fainted, but even if she didn’t, she likely fell and hit her head, knocking herself unconscious. My nephew was only three years old then.

The brother, overcome with grief, wondered if she might have had a better chance of survival if someone had been there to help.

Remembering Kelly during the podcast episode, he shared, ‘She really was everything in our lives.

She was an amazing mother to her three children, truly the best anyone could ask for. We all relied on her for everything, and it’s difficult to accept that she’s no longer with us.

Kelly’s sudden death deeply upset Luke, making him feel sick as he began to accept she was gone.

He remembered feeling incredibly nauseous and dreading having to see his sister at the funeral home. He wasn’t handling the situation well at all, and knowing he had to face it at 5:00pm made things even harder. He just wasn’t coping with the grief.

When he finally came to say goodbye, Luke explained it was the first time he’d ever felt a weight lift off his shoulders by something beyond this world.

He explained that seeing her felt incredibly liberating, like a weight had been lifted. He felt she allowed him to be himself in a way he hadn’t before, an experience he believed was unique within his family, as his mother hadn’t felt the same way.

The family had already experienced tragedy before Kelly’s death, as Luke’s brother, Chris, died in a car accident in 1996.

Seven years after Kelly passed away, her husband, Ben Lee Cheshire, also died. This led to their young son, Til, going to live with the American Idol judge and his wife, Caroline.

Luke went on to adopt the pair’s three children: Jordan, Kris and Tilde. 

He and his wife are also mom and dad to Thomas ‘B’, 17, and Tatum ‘Tate’, 15.

In a 2021 interview with People magazine, Luke shared that he’ll always grieve the loss of his two siblings and brother-in-law, saying he’ll ‘truly never get over’ it.

Luke was only 19 years old and getting ready to move to Nashville to chase his dream of becoming a country music star when his 26-year-old brother, Chris, passed away.

Several years ago, he shared with the magazine that he felt lucky thanks to people like Chris, Kelly, and Lee, suggesting they’d helped pave the way for his success. He even mentioned that he thanks them in his nightly prayers, expressing gratitude for their support.

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2025-10-30 05:19