Blake Shelton, the beloved “The Voice” coach and a living classic of country music, underwent a life-changing event when he was just 14 years old that left a permanent mark on his personality. On November 13, 1990, his older brother Richie Shelton, 24, sadly perished in a car accident in Oklahoma. Blake keeps paying tribute to his brother’s memory and uses a variety of coping mechanisms to deal with his grief.
In interviews, social media posts, TV appearances, and even in his songs, the “God’s Country” singer has been candid about Richie. Blake claims that the divorce he endured with his first ex-wife, Kaynette Gern, is the only other horrific incident in his life that even comes close to matching the sadness of his brother’s loss. He said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” in 2014, “I put my divorce up there with my brother’s death and that was a tough, tough call to make,”
The singer also remembered some words of wisdom his father told him after Richie passed away. Blake’s father gave him a stern warning: “Look, you will never, ever get over this happening.” In a nutshell, “You’ll have to learn to adapt to it.” In addition, despite his continued suffering, Blake has accomplished more than just “getting used to it”; via sharing his experience, he has inspired countless people and realized that one should never take life for granted.
Richie’s death has given Blake new perspective.
Blake Shelton’s loss throughout the years has given him a fresh outlook on life and connected him to individuals who have also experienced the loss of a loved one.
On November 17, 2017, the 27th anniversary of his brother’s demise, Blake sent a tweet stating that the terrible incident “changed [his] life forever” and taught him how precious every moment is. He highlighted in his tweet that “life is precious and there’s no time like RIGHT NOW to go for it.”
On May 1, 2023, Blake and NOIVAS (Savion Wright), a participant from Season 23 of “The Voice,” bonded over their experience losing a brother. The seasoned judge said to the aspiring performer during a practice, “My brother, he would have freaked out if he had known what I went on to do.” “You’d hear him coming six blocks away, the stereo blaring out of his truck,” Blake said. Richie loved hearing music.
The song “Over You” was co-written by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, a fellow country music artist who was Blake’s wife at the time, for Blake’s brother in 2011. Miranda came up with the original concept for the song because she wanted to help her ex-husband get well after he confided in her about the traumatic experience. Prior to “Over You,” Blake had never sought to use music to convey his anguish. In the heartbreaking ballad, Miranda shouts, “But you went away / How dare you, I miss you / They say I’ll be OK / But I’m not going to ever get over you,” Blake has performed the song a few times live despite not singing on it.
In a 2012 interview with People, Miranda added further background to the lyrics. “Blake said Christmas wasn’t fun for a long time because of all the memories—the presents and the time spent together, and then it all just going black in your mind,” she added. “Christmas wasn’t fun for a very long time.” The Grammy winner went on to say, “Richie would’ve been so pissed I got all those records!” Richie’s old cassettes from when he and Blake were writing were given to Blake by his father.