The death of Eric Church’s brother, Brandon, crushed him but how he came back to life is a story he still recalls.
Eric made it to the CNN studio for the All Three Is With Anderson Cooper podcast on Thursday, February 19, where he reflected on the heartbreaking part of his life — the death of his brother Brandon in 2018.
When he found no light at the end of the tunnel as he was not “prepared for that part,” Vince Gill came to the rescue and gave him life-changing advice.
The renowned American singer-songwriter recounted, “When my brother died, I didn’t comprehend that it’s never going to be the same again — with my parents, with their relationship, with the whole family, the family dynamic. When my brother died, I wasn’t prepared for that part.”
But out of everyone he hoped to receive a call from after Brandon’s death, Vince called him even though he “didn’t really know Vince very well.”
He said, “And he actually was the first one that said to me, ‘You don’t understand this now, but you’re never going to be the same. Your mom and dad are never going to be the same. Your sister’s never going to be the same. Y’all are never going to be the same as a unit.”
Vince did not stop there and went on to inform him that nothing was “ever going to be the same” with a slight emphasis that the “quicker you understand that, the better you’ll deal with it.”
Eric did not “get it” at that time, but the Take It Easy crooner’s advice forced him to sit there and think, “It was grief. We’ve always been the family.’ But looking back on it, he’s exactly right. It never is the same.”
It is pertinent to mention that the Heart on Fire singer, who lost his brother Brandon to the “consequences of chronic alcoholism” at 36, now believes when something like that happens, it changes everything. And it becomes a new normal.”