Luke Bryan takes in his 13-year-old nephew
Luke Bryan is now raising his teenage nephew.
Following the unexpected death of his brother-in-law Ben Lee Cheshire last November, the 38-year-old country superstar is taking in his 13-year-old nephew Til. In a new interview with ABC News, Luke says that Til has come to live in Nashville with him and his wife Caroline, as well as their two sons Bo, 6, and Tatum, 4. Tragically, Til's mother Kelly -- Bryan's sister -- also passed away in 2007 at the age of 39.
"As a family, we shake our heads and say, 'We just can't believe it,' but with me, I just have to chalk it up to, well, this is God's plan," he says.
Bryan hopes to inspire people dealing with similar tragedies.
"We feel like if we just stay positive through this, maybe we'll be a positive inspiration for people that had these things happen to 'em," he says, also explaining that he flies in Til's two older sisters for regular visits.
But of course, it hasn't been easy.
"It's every day on the phone, all day trying to talk with the family and figure out what to do, but it's what you gotta do," he says. "Tough stuff."
This isn't the first time Luke has dealt with tragedy. His only brother was killed in a car accident in 1995 at the age of 26.
"My only siblings gone from the world in a flash, in two different, crazy, tragic manners," he told ABC Newsin 2013, about losing both his brother and sister.
"Losing my brother changed my tremendously and losing Kelly, even more," Bryan also told People Countrylast year. "I literally do not take one second for granted."
In December, Lady Antebellum paid tribute to Bryan, after he canceled his scheduled appearance and performance at the CMT Artists of the Year ceremony following his brother-in-law's death. Performing in his honor, Lady Antebellum took the stage with songwriter Chris Stapleton to deliver a cover of Bryan's hit "Drink a Beer."
Bryan says he was touched tremendously by the performance.
"That night we were, as a family, watching all of that on TV and watching Lady A and Stapleton sing that," he recalled. "It was a big-time healing moment."