Nick Cave States ‘Being Forced To Grieve Openly’ For His 15-Year-Old Son ‘Basically Saved’ His Family

Nick Cave has opened up about the death of his son, Arthur, stating that grieving publicly “saved” both him and his wife, Susie Bick.

Arthur was 15 years old when he died after a cliff fall in July 2015 and Nick has now given a rare interview to the Guardian, in which he speaks extensively about the effect Arthur’s death had.

Praising the many fans and well-wishers who shared their condolences with Nick and his family following their tragic loss, he said: “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.”

Turning his attention to ‘One More Time With Feeling’, the documentary film Nick made while working on his album ‘Skeleton Tree’ in the months after Arthur’s death, he added: “This had much to do with Andrew’s [Dominik, director] film and I will always be indebted to him for this.

“The rush of emotion it unleashed in people and the way they wrote about their own sadnesses and their own griefs was monumental and amazingly helpful for me and my family.”

“Initially, I thought it would be impossible to do this in the public eye. The impulse was to hide,” Nick continued. “But it turns out that being forced to grieve openly basically saved us.”

An inquest into Arthur’s death later heard that the teenager had experimented with LSD shortly before the accident that resulted in his death.

Nick and Susie briefly walked out of the courtroom, as details of their son’s final hours were read out.

The couple have one other son, Earl, who is Arthur’s twin. Nick has two other children from previous relationships, Luke and Jethro.