Singer-songwriter Nick Cave has announced that his son Jethro Lazenby has died at the age of 31.
In a statement issued to HuffPost UK on Monday afternoon, the Australian star said: “With much sadness, I can confirm that my son, Jethro, has passed away. We would be grateful for family privacy at this time.”
Jethro – a former actor, model and photographer, who sometimes used the moniker Jethro Cave – was born in Australia in 1991. He previously revealed that he did not meet his musician father until he was “about seven”.
Earlier this year, he was arrested and taken into police custody after a physical assault on his mother, Beau Lazenby, in Melbourne, Australia. His legal representative, Sean Ghattas, said Jethro had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which had affected his judgement.
According to Metro, Jethro had been released from custody two days before his death, on the condition he undergo substance abuse treatment and not contact his mother for the next two years.
The outlet also reported he was due to appear in court next month to receive sentencing for the assault.
Jethro was previously sentenced to prison time in 2018 after assaulting his girlfriend.
Nick lost another son, Arthur, in 2015 after he fell to his death from a cliff in Brighton when he was 15 years old.
Last year, the singer revealed that he and his wife, model Susie Bick, had relocated to Los Angeles, stating that it had become “too sad” for them to stay in Brighton.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2017, Nick said of the grieving process: “It’s hard to know what to say that is helpful. People often say they can’t imagine how it would feel to lose a child, but, actually, they can – they can imagine what it is like.
“A lot is said about grief, especially the conventional wisdom that you do it alone. I personally have found that not to be the case. The goodwill we received after Arthur’s death from people who I did not know, especially through social media, people who liked my music and kind of reached out, was extraordinary.”