Blake Shelton Tributes His Brother, Richie, on Anniversary of His Death
Blake Shelton got serious on Twitter Monday morning (Nov. 13), offering reflections on the death of his older brother, Richie.
Richie died in a car accident on Nov. 13, 1990, when Shelton was just 14 years old. The singer has spoken about him from time to time, never more poignantly than in song. Miranda Lambert's "Over You" was inspired by the death of Richie Shelton, and the then-married couple became emotional in accepting a CMA win for the song in 2012.
Shelton says that reflecting on Richie's death continues to make him realize how precious life is:
"Lost my brother 27 years ago today," Shelton writes. "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!!"
Shelton also has an older sister named Endy.
The memory no doubt makes for a bittersweet day for the 41-year-old. While he's remembering his brother, he's also celebrating news that he has the No. 1 album in country music. Texoma Shore topped the charts after a strong week of sales on the back of single "I'll Name the Dogs" and songs like "Money." As of Monday afternoon there are six different songs from the album on the Billboard Country Airplay Top 40 chart.
He'll return to work Monday night as a mentor on NBC's The Voice.
See Country Singers Who've Suffered Great Tragedy