Melissa Etheridge introduced her son Beckett’s death on the age of 21, which led some to wonder how many children the singer and songwriter has.
On May 13, Melissa Etheridge announced that her son, Beckett Cypher, had died at the age of 21 from complications associated with opioid dependancy.
“Today I joined the masses of hundreds of families who have misplaced family members to opioid habit," Melissa wrote on Twitter. "My son Beckett, who was once just 21, struggled to overcome his dependancy and in any case succumbed to it lately. He will likely be neglected by way of those that cherished him, his family, and pals."
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Fans of the "Come to My Window" singer know the 58-year-old has always been a very proud mom when it comes to her four children — Bailey, Beckett, Miller, and Johnnie Rose.
Here is a complete breakdown of her modern family.
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Melissa shared her oldest son Beckett with her former partner Julie Cypher.
Beckett was one of the two children that Melissa had with former partner Julie Cypher. Melissa and Julie also share a daughter named Bailey, who was born in 1997, three years before they separated in 2000.
Both children were conceived using artificial insemination and a sperm donation from singer David Crosby.
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Melissa also has twins with ex, Tammy Lynn Michaels.
In addition to her children with Julie, Melissa also had two children with actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, who she dated after her separation from Julie.
Tammy gave birth to twins Miller and Johnnie Rose in 2006 who were also conceived through artificial insemination with the help of an anonymous sperm donor.
"I feel they have four half-siblings we don't know the rest about," Melissa said of her twins' conception, according to Parents.com. "But they gave me the opportunity to shop for the remainder of [the sperm donor] out. I used to be financially in a position to do this in order that they would not have 20-30 half-siblings. So he's off the marketplace now. There are not more half-siblings. To me, it was a protection. We take this worried sort of stance that they're going to want one thing from you."
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Tammy and Melissa separated in 2010 — and their breakup was not pretty. In 2013, Melissa was ordered to pay Tammy $13,000 a month in spousal support and $10,000 a month in child support.
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Throughout her career, Melissa has been an outspoken gay rights activist.
When she isn’t busy parenting or writing hugely successful songs, Melissa has also spent time getting involved in political fights as a champion for gay rights. In an interview in 1994, she explained why she and Julie wanted to have kids.
"I feel one of the crucial many fears other people have about homosexuality is round children,” she explained. ”I believe that the more gay parents elevate good, robust, compassionate other folks, the better the arena will likely be."
Melissa could also be a breast most cancers survivor.
In 2004, Melissa was recognized with breast cancer. She has since recovered, but also labored to lift consciousness about the disease after her diagnosis, and gave the impression in a 2005 interview discussing her restoration.
Melissa said that Tammy, who was once her spouse on the time, had been very supportive as she was once treated for and recovered from the illness.
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