NICK Cave’s son has died aged 31 – just seven years after his 15-year-old half-brother tragically died in a cliff fall.
Model and actor Jethro Lazenby, who lived in Melbourne, had been released from prison two days before his death.
In a statement today, Mr Cave said: “With much sadness, I can confirm that my son, Jethro, has passed away.
“We would be grateful for family privacy at this time.”
The Australian singer, best known as the frontman of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, was first struck by tragedy in July 2015 when Arthur died after falling from a cliff at Ovingdean, near Brighton.
The teen, who was the son of Mr Cave and wife Susie, had plunged 60ft to his death after taking the hallucinogenic drug LSD, an inquest later heard.
His family described him as a “beautiful, happy, loving boy”, and his death inspired two albums, Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen, and 2016 documentary One More Time With Feeling.
Jethro, who was born to model Beau Lazenby and Mr Cave in 1991, had faced personal problems for some years after struggling with his mental health.
He had roles in 2007 film Corroboree and 2011’s My Little Princess, which starred Isabelle Huppert.
However, in April he was jailed for assaulting his mother.
A court heard he kneed Ms Lazenby in the face during an argument, causing bleeding and bruising.
He admitted one count of unlawful assault and breaching court orders.
Other charges, including intentionally causing injury, were dropped.
Lawyer Sean Ghattas said Jethro suffered with schizophrenia during the hearing.
Newspapers in Australia report he was freed on bail days before he died after a magistrate ordered he undergo substance abuse treatment.
TRAGEDY FOR STAR
He was also told to avoid contact with his mother for two years.
The cause of his death is not known.
Fans of Mr Cave have spoken of their shock and sorrow on social media.
One said: “Nick Cave’s son Jethro has passed away.
“I can’t conceive of a person who maintains such faith in the world in the face of such personal tragedies. How terribly sad.”
Another said: “Nick Cave has just shared that his son Jethro has died. I am absolutely heartbroken for that family.”
‘WE TOOK OUR SADNESS WITH US’
A third wrote: “It seems that Nick Cave’s eldest son, Jethro, has died.
“My God, how much can one family endure? My heart breaks for them. RIP.”
Jethro is survived by Mr Cave, his mother, and his two half-brothers, Luke and Earl. Earl is Arthur’s twin.
Mr and Mrs Cave relocated to LA in the wake of Arthur’s death. However, they later returned to the south coast.
In an interview last year, the star said: “Brighton had just become too sad.
“We did, however, return once we realised that, regardless of where we lived, we just took our sadness with us.
“These days, though, we spend much of our time in London, in a tiny, secret, pink house, where we are mostly happy.”
