Blake Shelton Continues to Honor His Late Brother's Memory — What Happened to Him?
Published May 3 2023, 10:22 a.m. ET
Country musician and longtime coach on The Voice Blake Shelton has never been shy when discussing his personal life. The "God's Country" singer was married to fellow country star Miranda Lambert before marrying pop musician Gwen Stefani. Throughout the years, however, there is a detail about his personal life that Blake has kept close to his chest.
In an episode of The Voice on May 1, 2023, Blake was talking to the performer NOVIAS when they started discussing what it was like to lose brothers. What happened to Blake Shelton's brother? Read on for everything you need to know.
What happened to Blake Shelton's brother?
In an episode of The Voice that aired on May 1, 2023, Blake talked with the musical group NOVIAS during The Live Playoffs. In their conversation, NOVIAS said he hoped to be on Team Blake from the show's beginning, "Not just because we are two tall guys and pretty good-looking, if I do say so myself. But even the fact that we both lost brothers."
Blake asked NOVIAS how old he was when he lost his brother, and NOVIAS replied, "21." Blake revealed that he was just 14 when his brother, Richie, died. "My brother, if he had been around, he would've freaked out if he had known what I had gone on to do," Blake added. "He was just such a huge music fan. You could hear him coming six blocks away, the stereo blaring out of his truck."
According to The Sun, Blake's brother Richie died in a car accident along with his girlfriend and her young son in 1990. The girlfriend was reportedly in the driver's seat and was driving over a hill when she "slammed into the back of a school bus picking up passengers."
Blake has previously mentioned his brother's death on social media and in interviews. In 2017, the "Ol' Red" singer reflected on his brother's death via Twitter, writing, "Lost my brother 27 years ago today, I was only 14 at the time but it changed my life forever ... Made me realize that life is precious and there's no time like RIGHT NOW to go for it ... We still miss you, Richie!!"
