The music world was reeling after Melissa Etheridge, 58, who shared Beckett with her ex partner Julie Cypher, 55, announced on Wednesday, May 13, that he had died at the tender age of 21. News broke about it on the “Come To My Window” singer’s Twitter account but a cause of death had not yet been revealed. The 2-time Grammy award winner confirmed hours later that it was opioid addiction that took his son’s life in a heartbreaking post. Many celebrities, including Rosie O’Donnell, Jane Lynch and Ruby Rose, have since sent their condolences about his tragic passing.
Here are 5 things to know about Beckett’s mother Julie, whose relationship with Melissa made headline news several times in the 90’s.
1: Lights, Camera Action. Julie’s professional world revolves around her being a filmmaker. She directed the 1995 movie Teresa’s Tattoo that co-starred C. Thomas Howell, 53, and Lou Diamond Phillips, 58, and also did a video short for country music superstar Tim McGraw, 53, years earlier.
2: Marriages Before & After Melissa. The Wichita, Kansas native was married to the La Bamba star from 1987 to 1990. She met Melissa on the set of her music video “Bring Me Some Water” and later split with LDP so they could begin a relationship. Their coupling lasted for about a decade before they broke up in 2000. She has been married to a man named Matthew Hale ever since 2004.
3: Major Confession. Julie dropped a bombshell on Melissa during their time as a couple. “She said, ‘You know, I’ve tried and I’ve tried these last couple of years, and I’m just not gay.’”, the “I’m The Only One” singer wrote in her autobiography The Truth Is … My Life in Love and Music. “Ten years and two children later seemed like a bizarre time to make that discovery.”
4: A Boy & A Girl. Julie gave birth to two children via artificial insemination while she and Melissa were still an item. Their daughter Bailey Jean was born in February 1997 before Beckett made his debut in November 1998.
5: Famous Dad. Melissa and Julie eventually revealed that the biological father of both of their children was rock & roll legend David Crosby, 78.