Nick Cave Emotionally Reflects on the Tragic Loss of His Two Sons

Nick Cave, the frontman of the Bad Seeds, has opened up about the profound grief and self-reflection he has experienced following the tragic deaths of his two sons, Arthur and Jethro Lazenby. In an emotional discussion, Cave, 66, admitted to feeling “disgracefully self-indulgent” in the aftermath of these harrowing losses.

Arthur, just 15 years old, died in 2015 after taking LSD for the first time and tragically falling from a cliff near their home in Brighton. Seven years later, Cave’s other son, Jethro Lazenby, passed away in Melbourne at the age of 31, just days after his release from prison. Jethro had struggled with drug addiction and schizophrenia and had violently assaulted his mother shortly before his death, told Daily Mail.

In a promotional clip for his upcoming interview on Australian Story, Cave became visibly emotional as he spoke about the devastating impact of losing his children. Reflecting on his life and career, he confessed, “I was in awe of my own genius. I just saw the folly of that … disgraceful sort of self-indulgence.” He admitted that his lifestyle “collapsed” after Arthur’s death, realizing that “the idea that art trounces everything just doesn’t apply to me anymore.”

Cave also shared the deep sense of responsibility he feels as a parent, particularly after the loss of his sons. “There can’t help but be feelings of culpability,” he told The Guardian earlier this year, acknowledging the natural instinct for parents to protect their children at all costs. When asked if he feels responsible for his sons’ deaths, Cave replied, “I think it’s something that people who lose children feel regardless of the situation, simply because the one thing you’re supposed to do is not let your children die.”

Addressing whether drugs played a role in Arthur’s death, Cave admitted, “There could be some element of that, yep. Look, these things are in our DNA, they’re inherited.” He emphasized that it goes against nature to bury one’s children and that feelings of culpability are inevitable.

After Arthur’s death, Cave and his family, including his wife Susie and Arthur’s twin brother, moved to Los Angeles to escape the painful proximity to the accident site in Brighton. Despite the intense media coverage, Cave found some solace in the public mourning, noting that it prevented him from shutting himself away completely. “That was helpful, weirdly enough,” he remarked.

When asked if his previous experience with loss helped him cope with Jethro’s passing, Cave acknowledged that it did, stating, “It really helped because I knew I could get through. I’d been through it.” However, out of respect for Jethro’s mother, who raised him after Cave met him at age seven, Cave refrained from discussing Jethro further, insisting that it would not be appropriate.