Melissa Etheridge's son, Beckett Cypher, dies aged 21

The singer Melissa Etheridge announced her son, Beckett Cypher, has died after struggling with opioid addiction.

Beckett Cypher, Etheridge’s son with her former partner Julie Cypher, was 21.

“Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction,” Etheridge wrote in a Twitter post on Wednesday night.

“My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today.”

Etheridge had two children with Julie Cypher, a film-maker – Bailey and Beckett.

“He will be missed by those who loved him, his family and friends. My heart is broken. I am grateful for those who have reached out with condolences and I feel their love and sincere grief,” Etheridge said.

“We struggle with what else we could have done to save him and in the end we know he is out of the pain now.”

Etheridge has been performing daily “Concerts from Home” during the coronavirus outbreak. She has postponed all appearances, but added that she would be back.

Rosie O’Donnell tweeted condolences.

Apart from a long musical career, Etheridge made a splash in 2000 when she announced that David Crosby, of the 1970s rock giants Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, had donated his sperm to Etheridge and Cypher, fathering both of their children.