Luke Bryan Thinks of His Late Siblings as His Guardian Angels

Luke Bryan's brother, sister and brother-in-law all died young, but the singer says he still feels a deep connection to each of them. In fact, he is sure to thank them in his prayers every night.

Bryan's older brother, Chris, died in a car accident in 1996. Big sister Kelly was 39 when she died in 2007 of natural causes that have never been explained. Kelly's husband, Lee (Ben Lee Cheshire), died of a heart attack at age 46 in 2014, leaving behind three kids for Luke and Caroline Bryan to help raise. Their son, Til, would move in with the country couple soon after.

Talking to People, Bryan shares that he sees Chris, Kelly and Lee as his guardian angels.

"Maybe Chris and Kelly and Lee have moved some puzzle pieces around to make my life so fortunate," he says. "When I say my prayers at night, I have to say, 'Thank y'all for looking after us down here.'"

These tragedies are a part of a new docuseries on IMDb TV called Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary. The five episodes begin streaming on Aug. 6 and feature footage from his life and career, family photos and exclusive interviews with the Bryans. He comments to the magazine that he's been able to keep a cheery disposition through everything he's experienced in his life, but it hasn't always been easy.

"I've had so many tragedies in my life ... it's almost like you don't want to tell the story because you don't want to feel like you're out there craving sympathy," he admits.

Bryan kicked off the Proud to Be Right Here Tour in July and has dates through October. His song "Waves" from the Born Here Live Here Die Here album (2020) is currently a Top 10 hit.