Luke Bryan: Grief, Faith, and Music

Summary

All There Is with Anderson Cooper

Episode: Luke Bryan – Grief, Faith, and Music
Release Date: October 28, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this moving episode, Anderson Cooper sits down with country superstar Luke Bryan for an intimate, vulnerable conversation about grief, loss, faith, and the healing power of music. Luke shares the heartbreaking losses of his brother Chris, his sister Kelly, and her husband Lee, and how these experiences shaped his family, career, and outlook on life. The episode is rich with personal stories, reflections on faith and resilience, and the universality of grief, woven together with Luke’s music and deep empathy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origin and Purpose of the Podcast

• Anderson Cooper introduces the episode by revisiting his own journey with grief, the loss of his parents and brother, and how these personal losses inspired the creation of the podcast.
• A conversation with Stephen Colbert sets the stage for exploring how grief and joy are forever intertwined.
  • Key Quote—Stephen Colbert [01:26]:
    “It’s a gift to exist. And with existence comes suffering… If you are grateful for your life, which I think is a positive thing to do… then you have to be grateful for all of it. You can’t pick and choose what you’re grateful for.”

2. Luke Bryan’s Early Encounters with Loss

• Luke describes losing his brother Chris at age 20 in a car accident, just before moving to Nashville.

• The randomness of loss and “last moments” resonates with Anderson, who lost his own brother.

  • Luke Bryan [09:19]:
    “I never will forget hearing those words that Chris had been in a car wreck and had not made it. And I remember just absolutely sobbing... It was really my first big loss.”

• They discuss the pain of missing out on adult siblinghood and shared life experiences.

3. Songs Shaped by Sorrow

• Anderson plays portions of "Songs You Never Heard," illustrating how Luke channels loss into his art.
  • Luke Bryan [15:11]:
    “I can sit down and write a song like that because it helps myself… it helps me talk about it and it helps my fans out there.”
• Lyrics spark reflection on the music Chris will never hear and the memories Luke attempts to preserve.

4. The Loss of Luke’s Sister Kelly

• Luke recounts Kelly's sudden and unexplainable death at age 39 from “Sudden Death Syndrome” while doing laundry at home.
  • Luke Bryan [18:45]:
    “There is a very, very small percentage of people that die for no reason in the world. And it’s called Sudden Death Syndrome… it was just tragic beyond words.”
• He opens up about the different texture of his grief this time—now, seeing Kelly reflected in her daughters helps him cope.
• Describes a profound spiritual experience viewing Kelly at the funeral.
  • Luke Bryan [25:04]:
    "...I would say it was the first time in my life I Felt a spirit of another world take away my burden in that room… when I felt that emotion, it was really something I'd never experienced."

5. The Elusiveness of "Closure"

• Anderson and Luke discuss how “closure” doesn’t really exist in grief.
  • Anderson Cooper [26:53]:
    “Every time people use the word, I shudder, which is closure. I think you can figure out how to walk with grief… but I don’t think there’s such a thing as closure. I think that’s kind of a made up TV word.”
  • Luke Bryan [27:22]:
    “Closure is not the word. For me, it was more peace in the moment... I think you have to learn to understand that it’s a normal emotion, that life will never be the same.”

6. Becoming a Caregiver—Losing Kelly’s Husband Lee

• Luke shares how the death of Lee, Kelly’s husband, struck him deeply, and led to him and his wife Caroline taking in their nephew, Til, and caring for their nieces.
  • Luke Bryan [33:49]:
    “…you're going, what's going on here? God, what have we done to have, to have this happen, you know, and then you start getting pretty mad and sadly you get selfish because you're like, why is this? Why us?”
• Adopting Til and supporting the girls became an act of familial instinct and love.

7. Faith as Lifeline

• Luke credits faith for helping him survive and make sense of repeated tragedies.
  • Luke Bryan [39:37]:
    “You have to believe you’ll be with them again… and be strong in that and be confident in that.”
• The importance of holding onto hope for reunion beyond this life, even while being angry and questioning.

8. The Universality and Loneliness of Grief

• Both men reflect on how grief makes people feel isolated, but realizing “everyone walks this road” is a connecting force.
  • Anderson Cooper [41:30]:
    “…as alone as I often feel, it gives me great comfort to know I’m not alone. And, yeah, I think there’s great beauty in that.”
• They note differences in how people process grief—Luke and Caroline, for example, have very different styles.

9. The Power of Music and Memory

• Discusses "Drink a Beer," written in honor of Chris and Kelly, and the emotional reactions it garners from fans.
  • Luke Bryan [30:24]:
    “Every time I’ve ever sang that song my whole life, I’ve always given it my all for the people in the audience to feel it that way. And it’s the reason why I moved to Nashville to hear songs like that and to record them and really, really use music to help people heal.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Luke Bryan [05:39]:
  “When that nine-year-old told me that... it really affirmed my need to talk about my loss. I mean, when you’re able to touch a kid that age, I was like, yeah, anytime I can talk about this, it’s the right thing to do.”

• Anderson Cooper [26:53]:
  “Every time people use the word, I shudder, which is closure. I think you can figure out how to walk with grief... but I don’t think there’s such a thing as closure.”

• Luke Bryan [27:22]:
  “Closure is not the word... For me, it was more peace. It was more peace in the moment.”

• Luke Bryan [39:37]:
  “You have to believe you’ll be with them again... and be strong in that and be confident in that.”

• Anderson Cooper [41:30]:
  “As alone as I often feel, it gives me great comfort to know I’m not alone. And, yeah, I think there’s great beauty in that.”

• Luke Bryan [41:57]:
  “Wow. You know, no one gets out of this thing. We don't get out of this thing alive… Every day that you can love on somebody, show some love to people, I think it’s very, very important.”

• Luke Bryan [36:50]:
  “Well, you know, Anderson, I think you have to find silver linings in all of this, all of this loss.”

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:07–03:35]: Anderson’s introduction; Stephen Colbert shares insights about grief, gratitude, and ongoing relationships with the deceased.
• [04:39–11:19]: Luke Bryan describes losing brother Chris, their last moments together, and the echoes of loss.
• [14:25–17:08]: Discussion of “Songs You Never Heard” and how music connects to memory and grief.
• [17:16–21:23]: Kelly’s death, the confusion and pain of sudden unexplained loss; explanation of Sudden Death Syndrome.
• [22:01–26:42]: Grieving Kelly; spiritual encounter in the funeral home; the transformative effect of this experience.
• [29:24–32:39]: “Drink a Beer” and the role music plays in expressing and sharing grief.
• [33:15–35:34]: Lee’s death, taking in the children, the challenge and honor of supporting extended family.
• [38:09–41:57]: On faith, the enduring waves of grief, and the importance of believing in reunion.
• [43:12–44:41]: The strength of family and the differences in grieving styles between Luke and his wife Caroline.

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Episode Takeaways

• Grief is Universally Human: No one is immune, and even public figures like Luke Bryan have felt devastation and uncertainty.
• There Is No Closure—Only Adaptation: Both Anderson and Luke reject the idea of closure; instead, they talk about learning to live with grief.
• Faith, Love, and Community Are Essential: Whether through music, storytelling, or family bonds, healing requires expression and connection, not isolation.
• Music as Medicine: Luke’s songwriting and performances become both cathartic for him and a healing source for thousands of fans.
• Shared Stories Lighten the Load: If talking about loss helps even one person feel less alone—like the nine-year-old boy who asked Luke for advice—then vulnerability has power.

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Final Thoughts

Anderson and Luke’s honest, vulnerable conversation offers comfort, solidarity, and hope. This episode is richly layered—balancing profound pain with gratitude and resilience—reminding listeners that sharing grief, while never easy, can help lighten its burden.

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Next Episode Teaser:
Anderson previews an upcoming conversation with Ken Burns about loss and memory, continuing the exploration of how grief shapes—and connects—all of us.

Transcript

[Anderson Cooper]

Welcome to a new season of all there is. I started this podcast three years ago while going through my mom's apartment after she died. She was still so present in those rooms, and it was hard letting them go, just as it had been hard letting her go when she died. My mom saved everything. There were hundreds of boxes of things to sift through, including what my dad, Wyatt Cooper, left behind after he died of a heart attack nearly 50 years ago when I was 10, and what my brother Carter left behind when he died by suicide 10 years later. I found grief to be so confusing and lonely, and I started asking people about their experiences because I was desperate to understand my own. Stephen Colbert was one of the first people whose wisdom helped. You told an interviewer that you have learned to, in your words, love the thing that I most wish had not happened. I remember you went on to say, what? Punishments of God are not gifts.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you really believe that?

[Anderson Cooper]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's a gift to exist. It's a gift to exist. And with existence comes suffering. There's no escaping that. And I guess I'm either a Catholic or a Buddhist when I say those things, because I've heard those from both traditions. If you are grateful for your life, which I think is a positive thing to do, not everybody is, and I'm not always, but it's the most positive thing to do, then you have to be grateful for all of it. You can't pick and choose what you're grateful for.

[Anderson Cooper]

Well, that was the start for me. That's really how this podcast began. As for what I've learned, I talked to Stephen Colbert a couple weeks ago on his show about that and why I'm expanding the podcast to release episodes now, all year long.

[Stephen Colbert]

I shut down and I lived for 40 years without allowing myself to feel the pain of the grief. But the irony is, by not allowing myself to. And you taught me this, by not allowing myself to feel the pain of it, I also didn't allow myself ever to feel joy, true joy, because you can't have one without the other. And it's only now, in the last two years, by. And my voice still shakes, which I'm sorry about, but. And it's only in the last two years, by feeling this grief and this sadness, that I've been able to feel joy. And I have a lot to feel joy about because I've got these two little boys who are just incredible, and one of them is backstage right now watching. And so it is the greatest gift, and you kind of gave it to me early on. And other people have given it to me in drips and drabs and every interview I've done. And the incredible thing is, the good news is you can still have a relationship with somebody who's died. And I have a relationship with my dad that's extraordinary. And I know him better now than I ever knew him when he was alive. When I was a little kid. And I feel my dad, I feel him.

[Anderson Cooper]

I ran from grief my whole life, but I'm not running any longer. This is the new season of All There Is. And as I said, we're expanding. We'll be releasing new episodes all throughout the year. I'm also starting a weekly companion show called All There Is live. It'll be live streamed on our grief community [e-mail] allthereis every Thursday night, 9:15pm we can come together there, talk grief and not be alone. We've also set up a year round permanent voicemail for you to call. If there's something you've learned in your grief that would be helpful for others or something you want others to know about your grief experience, let us know. The number is 404-827-1805. Wherever you are in your grief, I'm glad we're here together. This is all there is. Welcome back.

[Luke Bryan (singing)]

I was gonna drive by Wasn't gonna stop when my old truck found a front row.

[Anderson Cooper]

My guest today is country music superstar singer songwriter Luke Bryan. He's one of the world's best selling music artists. He's sold more than 75 million records. He's had incredible success. He's been married to his wife Caroline since 2006. They have two boys, Bo and Tate. But Luke is no stranger to loss. He was 20 when his older brother Chris was killed in a car crash. His sister Kelly died while doing laundry at her home in 2007, and years later, her husband Lee died of a heart attack. Luke and Caroline took over care of Kelly and Lee's three children. Paul, thank you so much for doing this. What I think is so cool about you, beyond your music, is your willingness to be open about something which a lot of people don't talk about, which is loss and grief. And you've been really public about it.

[Luke Bryan]

Yeah, thank you. Thanks for having me on here. I think it's helpful to always talk about it.

[Anderson Cooper]

You know, was it hard for you to, to decide to talk about it?

[Luke Bryan]

I think with the loss of my brother, you know, I was so young at the time and truly didn't know how to process it and now when I can relate to someone and let them know they're not alone in this and try to help people grieve and get through the ups and downs of life, you know, gosh, Anderson, I. One of my most beautiful moments I ever had as a, as a country music singer is I was in North Carolina and I'm doing my meet and greet and you know, meet and greets, you're meeting fans and taking pictures and there's a lot of chaos. But this, this boy, he was nine years old, he looked up at me and he had these big tears in his eyes and he looked at me, he goes, Mr. Luke, I lost my sister a couple of months ago and I want to know how you get through life. And when that nine year old, Anderson, when that nine year old told me that it was. I dropped down on my knees and just, just did the best job I could, did the best job I could in that moment to help that young man. And I said, buddy, you talk to your sister like she is still here. You treat her, you treat her like she is here every day of your life. You talk to her when you go to bed and you. And it was just. And that was. When that boy did that, it really affirmed my need to talk about my loss. I mean, when you're able to touch a kid that age, I was like, yeah, anytime I can talk about this, it's the right thing to do. And there's just so much of that going on in the world. And I think, I think some people have been insulated from it, thank God. But then the people that have tragedy, I hope they can hear our stories and understand they're not alone and their journey's with it.

[Anderson Cooper]

I mean, the fact that that nine year old boy could vocalize that and say that to you in that moment is incredible.

[Luke Bryan]

I looked up at his parents and his parents, they went there knowing that he wanted to ask me that and gosh, there wasn't a dry. I mean, it was one of the most powerful things that I've ever been a part of. And I just did my best in the moment and it really, really changed, changed me a lot too in that moment that I, that I was able to help him.

[Anderson Cooper]

Your brother Chris died when you were 20. He was, he was 26, right? What happened to Chris?

[Luke Bryan]

He was in a car wreck in our hometown of Leesburg, Georgia. He was dating a girl and she was driving and both of them were killed. They were leaving a Halloween function and it was about two weeks before I was going to move to Nashville and was getting ready to start chasing my. My music journey. And that happened, and just a tremendous blow to our family and our community.

[Anderson Cooper]

I understand some family friends drove to get you to tell you.

[Luke Bryan]

Yeah, I was out of town.

[Anderson Cooper]

I mean, that must have been.

[Luke Bryan]

Oh, it was. It was just tragic. I never will forget hearing those words that Chris had been in a car wreck and had not made it. And I remember just absolutely sobbing for, you know, around an hour and a half car ride. It's the first time in my life I had felt a pain like that. I'd never had any reason to just truly sob like that and hurt at that level. It was really my first big loss and something that I never would have, never would have predicted. No one on the planet was more excited about me chasing my music journey and chasing music.

[Anderson Cooper]

I saw this picture, which was of you and Chris. This was the last photo that was taken of you two.

[Luke Bryan]

Yes. He was a big country music fan. And we were in Savannah, Georgia, and we just planned to go see a Hank Jr concert. And that was our last photo, you know, that we had taken together. And our last time we spoke, it was a Friday, and we just ran into each other outside of the post office in Leesburg, and I bumped into him, and that was our last. I mean, just a real random. Oh, just a crazy, random meeting on the street. And, you know, at that time, you never know. It's your last. It's your last moment.

[Anderson Cooper]

It's so interesting. My brother died in 1988, and I. The last time I saw him was about three weeks before. Ran into him on the street in New York City on July 4th weekend, just randomly by accident. And I think we grabbed a burger together. And as you say, you never know that it's going to be the last time you see somebody. Your brother Chris, he would have been so amazed by what you've done.

[Luke Bryan]

Oh, man, Anderson, it's. And I'm sure you do this, too, with. With all of your successes and everything that you've done in life, you try to put them in the place. You try to. You try to imagine them being there. He was a huge outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and fish. And the fact that. That he and I could have enjoyed all of the amazing outdoor opportunities together, and the fact that we. We. We. We've missed out on that is. It's something that I think about anytime I'm. Anytime I'm on a big fishing trip or a hunting trip. You know, I just kind of try to imagine what would it be like with my brother here and what his trophy room would look like because of. Because I would have invited him on all these amazing opportunities that I've gotten to go on. We had just started connecting. For my whole life, I had been the little pesky brother that was kind of always in the way and wanting to hang out with all of his buddies. And he was always like, get out of here, twerp. And.

[Anderson Cooper]

And now that was my role too, actually.

[Luke Bryan]

But that was another element that really I live with, is the fact that we were just starting to talk about things that young men talk about together and doing things together as more. More sibling light. I remember him laying on his bed and he was just so. He was so enamored that I was actually gonna roll the dice and go to Nashville. It was almost like he was just so proud that I was so crazy enough to go do it. And I remember him going like, well, what are you going to do night one? Like, what's your plan? And I never will forget that conversation with him because I could tell that it was like the first time I made my older brother, like, really proud that I guess that I had the balls to go do this, you know. So it was a really special moment.

[Anderson Cooper]

I so relate to what you're saying though, about. I had always imagined as a kid, like my brother and I. My dad died when my brother was 12 and we never talked about it and we kind of grew apart. But I had this idea in my mind that one day we would connect as adults and he would have kids and I would have kids and we would connect in a way that we didn't really as teenagers. I had that feeling of like, man, one day we're gonna be really good friends and we're gonn to be there for each other. He died at 23. And now that I have kids, I. I feel that a lot.

[Luke Bryan]

When you think about 23 and 26, when it. When we're in that age bracket, we don't realize how young and, and. And how much life was left, you know, at 26. I mean, it's. It's like. It's just mind boggling how young that is.

[Anderson Cooper]

I. I just want to play a little bit of songs I never heard.

[Stephen Colbert]

Of.

[Luke Bryan (singing)]

We were just killing time. Singing Killing Time. It was a soundtrack of our lives. Chasing girls and growing up. A lot about living a little about love. Time marches on. There's a lot of new music and memories. We be drinking too. I think about it and I laugh until it hurts. Cause I can hear you Singing along to songs you never heard.

[Anderson Cooper]

I love that.

[Luke Bryan]

Well, well, yeah. I mean, it's kind of getting me listening to it. I was out on the road touring, and the co writers that I had, we were just sitting around talking about classic songs. And the idea was totally born out of like, oh my God, I can't believe all of these amazing songs that my brother missed. These iconic country music songs that I knew he would have loved. It was just a really, really powerful idea. And it is funny, Anderson. I do get kind of tapped as the fun guy, the guy that likes to party. But I am proud of country music that I can sit down and write a song like that because it helps myself, you know, it helps me talk about it and it helps helps my fans out there.

[Anderson Cooper]

I just want to play one more part of songs I never heard.

[Luke Bryan (singing)]

Out on the road with me.

[Luke Bryan]

High five.

[Luke Bryan (singing)]

In my home baby.

[Luke Bryan]

And we be.

[Luke Bryan (singing)]

Killing time Singing killing time it was a soundtrack of our lives. Chasing girls and growing up. A lot about living a little about love how much is on There's a lot of new music and memories we've been drinking to. I think about it and I laugh until it hurts Cuz I can hear you singing along Songs you never heard Songs you never heard.

[Anderson Cooper]

I love you saying mama claims it but we all know you'd be my number one fan. He would have been your number one fan.

[Luke Bryan]

Yeah, he would have. I don't think my mother got her feelings hurt when she heard that line. Cause she kind of feels the same way too.

[Anderson Cooper]

You were invited to perform the grand ole Opry in 2007. Your older sister Kelly, how many tickets did she buy for friends and family to come and see you?

[Luke Bryan]

I think the final number was more than 120 that she put her personal credit card.

[Anderson Cooper]

And did they give you a discount or anything or.

[Luke Bryan]

You know what? I don't know. What was funny is, is so before I go on stage, in between the segments, they do real live radio ads. And my sister's last name was Cheshire. So the guy, the emcee goes, I want to thank Cheshire Tours. They thought she was a touring group because they had bought, she had bought so many tickets. And so all of her ends, they were all sitting in one section and they, they jumped up and started hollering because it was just a funny moment. It was a real. Definitely an amazing memory, that trip.

[Anderson Cooper]

That was the last time Tom, you saw her.

[Luke Bryan]

Yeah, I mean that. That day would have been April 6th. And I think it was almost one month to the day. That. That my sister passed away. I never could have imagined that our last photo would have been taken in the lobby of the Grand Ole Opry right after I had done my first performance.

[Anderson Cooper]

She was 39.

[Luke Bryan]

39, and I would have been 31 at the time. And I'm sure you fell. Dealing with death and tragedy, they're all different. They take different forms, and they become different things. And I've never really explained what happened to my sister. You know, there's some misinformation out there on the Internet, and I think some people kind of like, wonder what happened, and they think that we've tried to cover it up, but there is a. A very, very small percentage of people that die for no reason in the world. And it's called Sudden death syndrome. And that's essentially what they. They described my sister's death as. She was in her home doing her laundry, and it was Anderson. It was like, you know, somebody just turned the switch off on her, and it was just. It was. It was just tragic beyond words.

[Anderson Cooper]

Did it take a while to. To. To get that. That result that the diagnosis? Because there was some. There was. There's articles saying that there were a number of autopsies that were done. And.

[Luke Bryan]

Yeah, yeah, we. We had. Obviously, we wanted to know what had happened because there were so much. There was just so much unanswered questions. And we wanted to know was, could there be a family history of something that her children might have or may have? Your typical findings of an autopsy of someone 39 would be an aneurysm or an embolism or a blood clot of some kind, and everything was inconclusive. She had a pretty severe, like, orbital bone injury. So whether she fainted, and I think she may have went into the floor and kind of knocked herself out. My nephew was three at the time, and I just think. I think if someone could have been there, maybe. Maybe her chances of surviving would have been. Would have been a lot better. She really was just a. She was everything in our lives. She was a mother of three children, and she was, I mean, the best mother you could ever dream of. And we all leaned on her for so many things, and it's hard to really wrap your brain around her.

[Anderson Cooper]

It doesn't make any sense.

[Luke Bryan]

And it was so different than my brother, because my brother. You can conceptualize a car accident, but you can't really conceptualize someone that was 5 11, 130 pounds, healthy as a horse, and she's just gone. And I'm even sitting here talking about it with you. It's just hard to think about my parents having to go through that. I mean, it's just.

[Anderson Cooper]

Did you feel like you knew how to grieve more by then?

[Luke Bryan]

Anderson My grief process with my sister was massively different than my brother. I think me still being kind of a young man, I didn't properly grieve my brother. And with my sister being able to have her children and look into their eyes and see my sister has been a much more helpful process. I can see her in them. I can see mannerisms in them. I can see, I can see so many tangible things in my nieces that are my sister. I was in St. Louis when I found out she had passed away. And it was much, it was much the same situation of me just sobbing uncontrollably. I remember when I, when I got to my nieces, I just kept screaming I was sorry to them. I kept saying I was sorry. And they were, they were too little at the time to understand that I was just telling them I was sorry because I couldn't believe I was so sorry for them that they were going to have to go through this life without the beautiful human being that she was. I was, I could not, I could not understand how these kids were going to go through their life without the best mother on the planet. And I remember my nieces going, uncle Luke, you don't have to say you're sorry. I don't know. I, I, that was just the word that I kept saying to them. And it was, it was a lot and still is, you know, now that we're, you know, and, and one of the most amazing situations I've ever had happen to me is the morning of her funeral. The morning of her funeral. I mean, Anderson, I don't know, I don't know how to vocalize what I was feeling. I mean, the nausea, the, the, I did not want to go in the funeral home and see my sister. I was just really not, not processing this well. And the fact that I knew at 5:00pm I was going to walk in that, that, that funeral home and have to deal with this. It was just really, I just wasn't doing well with it. And we get in a car and it's the sensation you get in a car and you know that this has got to happen. And Anderson, when I walked in the room would, and I'm a pretty spiritual guy and I'm pretty grounded in my belief in Christ and Christianity. And I would say it was the first time in my life I Felt a spirit of another world take away my burden in that room. When I saw her, it was like something. It was almost like a pressure valve released. And I just feel like between. I don't. I can't explain it. It was truly like she let. She set me free in that room. And, you know, my mother did not have that experience. And I think I was the only one in the family that had that experience. But I really had it and had prayed. What a blessing it really was. And I'm not saying it made it all go away. I'm just saying for whatever reason, when I felt that emotion, it was really something I'd never. I'd never experienced. I mean, I'm pretty pragmatic in my Christianity. We were a pretty conservative Christian church where we didn't hoop and holler and, and hold our hands in prayer. But when I felt that it was, it was, it was really something that I did feel a spirit. And her spirit kind of release me from that. And I think it allowed me to focus. I think it allowed for me to focus on her husband Lee, and it allowed me to focus on her children. And it freed me up in that level to get to work on doing what we needed to do for the family.

[Anderson Cooper]

Yeah.

[Luke Bryan]

When you go and talk about it, I mean, it is a lot to unpack, and I think it's amazing we can sit here and unpack.

[Anderson Cooper]

Every time people use the word, I shudder, which is closure. I think you can figure out how to walk with grief. You can figure out how to develop a relationship or companionship with it if you're lucky. But I don't think there's such a thing as closure. I think that's kind of a made up TV word. But what a moment to experience. I mean, that's, it's just incredible. It gives me chills to hear you, you talk about it. And I'm so glad you had that experience.

[Luke Bryan]

Well, yeah, and closure. Yeah, it's, it's. Closure is not the word I would say. For me, it was more peace. It was more peace in the moment. I mean, watching my parents go through this twice is just not fair. My mother is a very, very emotional person and she, she grieves their loss way differently than my dad. My dad grieves as southern gentlemen do. You know, my dad locks it in and my mother is forever changed. How she walks through life. And it's stuff that she and I really talk about weekly when she calls me and having bad days and. Yeah, I don't think closure's the word. I tell people you're just never going to arrive back to where it was when they were here. You're just, you just have to learn to understand that it's a normal emotion, that life, your life will never be the same. And closure is not my word. I think that I live every day going, you know, true pieces of my heart and soul and mind were taken never to be given back. And I think you have to be. You have to be ready for that and ready to try to get through.

[Anderson Cooper]

We'll have more of my conversation with Luke Bryan in just a moment. But first, if you want to listen or watch past episodes of the podcast or connect with other listeners, you can visit our community [e-mail] that's where you can also watch our new weekly companion show, All There Is, live every Thursday night at 9:15pm Eastern. CNN.comAllThereis I'll see you there. We'll be right back with more from Luke Bryan. I want to play a song called Drink a Beer, which, which you sing in honor of Chris and Kelly.

[Luke Bryan (singing)]

Funny how the good ones go too soon but the good Lord knows the reasons are wild.

[Luke Bryan]

Yes.

[Luke Bryan (singing)]

And sometimes a greater plan. It's kind of hard to understand right now. It don't make sense. I can't make it all make sense. So I'm gonna sit right here on the edge of this pier.

[Luke Bryan]

And watch.

[Luke Bryan (singing)]

The sunset disapp and drink a beer.

[Anderson Cooper]

I saw a performance where you did that and you got up and turned and there was a photo of Chris and Kelly. It was beautiful.

[Luke Bryan]

Chris Stapleton wrote that song. Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers. And when I look back over the years and I have seen country music fans, I'm talking about from the smallest lady, the smallest lady at five rows back, overwhelmed with emotion to the biggest, burliest, you know, the biggest, burliest country dude sitting there crying at that song. It's been, it's been the most amazing song in my career for that. And, and I tell you that there are nights that I get, I get out on the road and I'm tired and sometimes I just can't be a hundred percent. Every time I've ever sang that song my whole life, I've always given it, I've always given it my all for the people in the audience to feel it that way. And it's, it's the reason why I moved to Nashville to hear songs like that and to record them and really, really use music to help people heal. And, and, and what is more honest and, and tender and sweet than just the memory of drinking a beer with somebody. One of my last memories of my sister was her drinking a beer, watching the children play in the yard. And to see my sister with the contentment of, like her being in her dream home, watching her children play and sitting there with her brother, it was pretty special. And watching my brother come to me going, hey, Luke, let's go, let's go put a boat in and I'll, I'll ice down a couple beers and sharing a beer with my brother and Lord knows how many beers I have with my brother in law Lee. It was just a perfectly written song and, you know, it's been an honor to be able to sing it and help people through the years.

[Anderson Cooper]

Kelly's husband, Lee. You were friends with Lee, I understand, from the time, like you were 8 years old and is it true, I read this somewhere, that you always knew that your friend Lee would marry your sister Kelly when you were a little kid. Is that true?

[Luke Bryan]

Yeah, we just knew it. They were high school sweethearts. He was a very, very important and pivotal person in my life, and he was as much of a brother as Chris was to me.

[Anderson Cooper]

Lee died a few years after Kelly.

[Luke Bryan]

Lee was 40, 45, 46, and passed away in the same home that, that my sister passed away in and just had the, the heart attack that, you know, the massive heart attack. Just another, another unbelievable scenario that, that, that, that happened to him and those, those kids and that family.

[Anderson Cooper]

And you've said that in some ways it was the hardest for you.

[Luke Bryan]

It, it was because at this point in life, you're going, what's going on here? God, what have we done? What have we done to have, to have this happen, you know, and then you start getting pretty mad and sadly you get selfish because you're like, why is this? Why us? And I just didn't understand why these children have to be going through this. And it was just, it was a tough thing. It was a really tough thing on my wife. My wife really had a great connection with Lee. It happened over Thanksgiving break. So we were all in town celebrating Thanksgiving and the fact that one Friday night, he and I are building a bonfire in the next Saturday morning, we were in his front yard. I was taking my two little boys to go deer hunting, and we were sighting in a deer rifle, and I gave him a high five and said, I'll see you after dark. I pulled out of his driveway and 15 minutes later, he is not with us anymore. And it just hit me like a ton. Of bricks. And I just been put in situations where I try to really appreciate every day and appreciate every moment that you can with people and people that you love. And I just. Still. Still a head scratcher. Why couldn't we have known that he was having some heart issues or why didn't it show itself a little better? But, man, it was a pretty, pretty tragic day.

[Anderson Cooper]

You did something extraordinary. You adopted their three children. And the youngest, Till, I think was 13.

[Luke Bryan]

It's just what you do as family and I guess you go into like a tribe instinct and you do what you can to kind of make it. Till being 13, he just expressed that he wanted to come to Nashville with us. And the girls were in college. And then Chris, she was essentially a junior in high school, so we didn't really want to uproot the girls. But Teal, you know, it wasn't necessarily an adoption. More like we were. We had to sign paperwork that he's. He's our responsibility. And watching him come into our home and have to grieve the loss of his dad was really, really tough. And to watch my wife step up and do the work that she had to do was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen.

[Anderson Cooper]

One of the things I heard you talk about is that you kind of get to see the relationship you had with Chris playing out in the relationship that Till has with your two boys. And like the cycles of history repeat, which I'm obsessed with.

[Luke Bryan]

Well, you know, Anderson, I think you have to find silver linings in all of this, all of this loss. And you have to, you have to appreciate the, the silver linings. And my, my oldest bow until. I mean, it is all brotherly. It looks, it looks and smells just like two brothers complaining and fighting and, and wrestling and giving each other a hard time. But with, with Tate, my 15 year old and T, they have a really special bond. And I can't imagine a household where Teal would have never grown up in. And I mean, it's just been a. It's just been a blessing and a silver lining to have him and to, to watch the girls go through life and become mothers and, and get through life daily has been pretty inspiring too. I'm really proud of them. And I think the tricky part of this, Anderson, you know, I don't tell them enough how proud I am of them. Like, I'll tell you that I'm proud of them. But to sit down and look them in the eye, they don't need to come watch this interview with you. They need to, you know, I need to say I'm proud of how they've navigated life.

[Anderson Cooper]

Does the grief get worse for you? Does it get better for you?

[Luke Bryan]

You know, I think it's ever changing. I think the grief comes and goes in in waves. I think the grief comes and goes in how I'm doing in my journey in life. On the days that I'm confident in all this, I think the grief is better and I think on the days where, yeah, I can envision my sister with me and I can envision my brother and my brother in law with me and I can envision, I think what might have been and what, what would Kelly and Lee say about their grandchildren. I mean it, it's very hard to go there in your brain. So I think in a lot of those cases the grief is worse because you just want so bad for them to be in this journey with you and they can't and you, and at the end of it, I have to believe the only way that I can make it through is to believe that they're on the other side and we will be reunited one day and it will be all, it will be all well again and it will be, it will be like it should be. And I have to live with that faith that it will be that way. And I think if I can ever encourage.

[Anderson Cooper]

That is the promise of faith.

[Luke Bryan]

That is the promise. And, and anybody that's lost their faith and, and listen, you know, you know the deal, I mean there's countless religions and countless ways to go about your grief but I always want to stress to people you have to believe you'll be with them again or you're just going to have to believe that and, and, and be strong in that and be confident in that. Are you going to get, are you going to be mad at, you're going to be mad at the situation. You're going to be mad at God, of course, but really at the crutch of it, you know, at the heart of it, believe you'll be with him again. And I think that's how I've really tried to get through this life. I try to tell people when I see a 85 year old lady, I just want to, you, you want to walk up to him and put your arms around him because you know that life, life has dealt them these blows. And some people are lucky. Some people don't have it to the extent that you and I have it. Some people have it way worse. I mean, good Lord, you've reported on things that are Way worse than our scenarios. And you just hope that those people, that they have the faith. They have the faith to understand that they'll be reunited again. And. And that's how I get through this thing. I think if I. If that faith wavers, then a lot of other things waver, and my grief becomes stronger and my grief becomes more challenging. But I like to look at someone that's lived a long, healthy life and go, life's life's been rough on them, too. You're not alone.

[Anderson Cooper]

Yeah. I mean, everybody you meet has been on this road or will be on this road, and everybody who has ever lived has been on this road. And as alone as one might feel, as alone as I often feel, it gives me great comfort to know I'm not alone. And, yeah, I think there's great beauty in that.

[Luke Bryan]

Wow. You know, no one gets out of this thing. We don't get out of this thing alive. And that's for sure. I think we have to be careful and never forget that and understand that every day means something, and every day is special, and every day that you can love on somebody, you know, show some love to people, I think it's very, very important. I've actually had a weird little funky day today where I've been down in the dumps, but you just have to get through it and. And. And press on, because like you said, we are all in this thing together. We're not. We're not insulated, we're not protected. And the only thing that really helps is us understanding that we're all humans together and we all do things, we all process things differently. I mean, when I look at me and my wife's differences of how she's handled all her grief, it is way different than me. And I have to respect her for her version of it, and she has to respect mine. And then we have to meet in the middle with it, too.

[Anderson Cooper]

You must count your blessings every day that you walked into the Dingus bar all those years ago.

[Luke Bryan]

Well, I do.

[Anderson Cooper]

I don't know, because she sounds pretty awesome.

[Luke Bryan]

Well, I don't know anybody that could have done what she's done. I mean, she goes into life thinking she's marrying a country music singer, and then next thing you know, she's helping the girls and the boys and d. Still putting up with my antics. It's been an amazing journey, and it wouldn't. You know, it couldn't have gone on without walking in that bar at Georgia Southern. And even on her side of the aisle, you know, she lost her brother and sister lost a young, they lost a seven month old baby. And we've had to watch them deal with grief, losing a seven month old very close to us. And we love them. It's, it's just life is hard out there. It's tough. And I just hope, I'm so honored to get to share this with you in hopes of helping people through. And I think it's really amazing that you've taken your journey. I mean, you and I grew up in crazy different backgrounds in life. I mean, when I read your story and how you grew up and what you've done and I mean, it's how far apart we are from whatever, you know, grief, grief is coming for us.

[Anderson Cooper]

Well, Luke, I gotta tell you, I've done a lot of interviews and you don't have to be out there talking about grief, but I just think it's so incredible your ability to talk about it and your willingness to talk about it. I am incredibly grateful for this conversation. Thank you.

[Luke Bryan]

We all have to, we all have to, you know, bond together and help each other through it. And I think it's impressive that you're doing this. And thank you.

[Anderson Cooper]

Next week on All There is my conversation with legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. He's brought history alive on public television through extraordinary series like the Civil War, the Vietnam War, baseball and jazz. But his personal story of loss and his ability to give voice to it is truly remarkable. And I can't wait for you to hear that interview.

[Ken Burns]

There'll be something really great that happens. A great award, a great, wonderful thing.

[Anderson Cooper]

Yeah, I can't do that.

[Ken Burns]

And I can't do that. You know, it's almost in a way.

[Luke Bryan]

And I don't know if this is.

[Ken Burns]

Your experience, but you're disrespecting. If you let go of whatever internal sadness you're supposed to have or just the sense of loss or whatever it is, but I know I have at times glimpsed and gone, wow, this is great. And most of the time it's what's the next thing?

[Anderson Cooper]

Yeah. But it's interesting to me because I keep saying to myself, they would not want me to be, they would not want me to feel disconnected. And yet I do think there is that element of like, if I let go of this right then you're betraying.

[Ken Burns]

Them in some way.

[Anderson Cooper]

Yeah. They disappear altogether. That's next week on All There Is. Join me every Thursday night at 9:15pm for my new weekly companion show called All There Is Live. It'll be live streamed on our Grief community [e-mail] all there is every Thursday night, 9:15pM we can come together there, talk grief and not be alone. You can also follow us on our new Instagram account, AllThereIs. And the number again for our new voicemail box 404-827, 1805. Wherever you are in your grief, I'm glad you're here.