Luke Bryan Opens Up About His Brother & Sister’s Tragic Deaths

Luke Bryan‘s family has faced incredible tragedies, including the deaths of his older brother and his sister. He opened up about the effect this had on him in an interview.

The interview will air on Sunday on Sunday Today With Willie Geist.

In it, 40-year-old Bryan revealed that he was just 19 years old when his brother Chris died after a car accident. According to the star, although the grief was overwhelming, he needed to push through the pain in order to achieve success.

“When Chris passed away, I was 19 years old, fixin’ to chase my dream, and it just totally rocked our family’s world, rocked my world,” Bryan shared.

“It makes you appreciate chasing dreams,” he added. “You’re like, ‘Hey, you get one go-round at this thing called life, so you better go after your dreams.’ ”

Bryan previously spoke about Chris’ death in an interview with ABC News in 2013. “I’m kind of hyperventilating talking about it,” he said at the time. “You never truly … move beyond it.”

In 2007, Bryan’s sister, Kelly, also died  unexpectedly. Her husband died seven years later. The late couple’s son, Til, has been raised by Bryan and his wife Caroline as their own ever since.

Despite the family tragedies, Bryan maintains a buoyant sense of optimism that has helped him build a career as one of the biggest stars in contemporary country music. He will be co-hosting the ACM awards this year with Dierks Bentley.