On May 13, the world was dealt an unexpected blow as iconic country singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge announced the death of her son, Beckett Cypher, due to opioid addiction.
In her Instagram post, Etheridge said how she "joined the hundreds of thousands of families" who suffered a loss of a loved one due to opioid addiction. She also shared how her son "struggled to overcome his addiction," but unfortunately succumbed to the substance problem.
To fans of the music icon and her then-partner Julie Cypher, Beckett was not just another statistic in the United States' ongoing struggle against the many faces of substance abuse. Beckett, his older sister Bailey, and their celebrity parents are all part of a family that was among the first and most famous of its kind.
Yes I Am, Etheridge
In January 1993, Etheridge publicly came out as a lesbian. Perhaps the Leavenworth-born singer-songwriter was the most popular lesbian artist, together with Canadian pop artist K. D. Lang who came out a year before. Eight months later, Etheridge released her fourth studio album, "Yes I Am," which then came as a confirmation on her sexuality. It spawned her hit ballad "Come to My Window" and endeared her to more mainstream listeners.
However, even before Etheridge came out in 1993, she has already begun what would be a long-term relationship with filmmaker Julie Cypher back in 1990. Cypher was first married to actor Lou Diamond Philips in 1986 before splitting four years later.
Cypher and Etheridge: The two mommies
By February 1997, Cypher gave birth to their first daughter together, Bailey Jean, and followed by their son Beckett in November 1998. Both children were born via artificial insemination, with the identity of the father initially withheld.
In January 2000, Melissa revealed the donor to be none other than David Crosby, of "the Byrds" and "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young" fame. The announcement made the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine. On it was their family, including Crosby and his wife Jan Dance.
In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," Cypher and Etheridge explained their plans and insights on having a family with same-sex parents, with the "Teresa's Tattoo," explaining that "the definition of family is changing and evolving in our society so quickly." While the Cypheridge family was perhaps the most popular, it was not the only family of the sort, with the CBS interview noting that at the time, there were at least 167,000 family units in the US with same-sex parents.
Cypheridge getting high together
In a 2017 interview, Etheridge shared about smoking weed for both recreational and medicinal purposes. She also opened up on her experience of smoking it with both Bailey and Beckett, recalling the experience as a bonding activity.
"It was funny at first, and then they realized it's very natural [at the] end of the day. It brings you much closer. I'd much rather have a smoke with my grown kids than a drink," Etheridge said.
Etheridge and Cypher split
Later in the year 2000, Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher went their separate ways, although Variety reported that they had taken back-to-back housing to keep on providing for their children. The singer-songwriter would then have relationships with actresses Tammy Lynn Michaels, who gave birth to twins in October 2006, and Linda Wallem.
As for the Cypheridge siblings, they have remained out of the public eye for most of their lives.
