Who are Nick Cave's children? Musician shares lessons from loss on 10th anniversary of son's death

Australian singer and actor Nick Cave has four sons, of whom two of them passed away. Nicholas Edward Cave's first son was from his first marriage to Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro. In 1990, Cave traveled to São Paulo and met his wife, who gave birth to their first son, Luke, in 1991. The couple was together for six years before they decided to separate.

Nick Cave's second son was born a year later, ten days shy of his older brother. Cave and Beau Lazenby together share Jethro. However, the singer did not meet his son till he was seven years old. Jethro was one of Cave's sons who passed away in May 2022, at just 31 years old.

His other two sons, whom he shares with English former model and designer Susie Bick (now Susie Cave), are twins. Arthur and Earl were born in 2000 in London. However, a tragic accident happened to Arthur on 14 July 2015, which led to his death. He fell from a cliff at Ovingdean and later succumbed to his injuries.

What did Nick Cave say after the 10th death anniversary of his son?

Nick Cave's third son, whom he shared with Susie Cave, passed away 10 years ago due to an accident. Cave usually shares his reflections and lessons he learned while grieving his son with Susie Cave, on his website called "Red Hand Files."

Cave began on a poetic note:

"The pain remains, but I have found that it evolves over time. Grief blossoms with age, becoming less a personal affront, less a cosmic betrayal, and more a poetic quality of being as we learn to surrender to it. As we are confronted with the intolerable injustice of death, what seems unbearable ultimately turns out not to be unbearable at all. Sorrow grows richer, deeper, and more textured. It feels more interesting, creative, and lovely."

He continued by writing:

"To my great surprise, I discovered that I was part of a common human story. I began to recognise the immense value and potential of our humanness while simultaneously acknowledging, at my core, our terrifyingly perilous situation. I learned we all actually die. I realised that although each of us is special and unique, our pain and brokenness is not. Over time, Susie and I came to understand that the world is not indifferent or cruel, but precious and loving – indeed, lovely – tilting ever toward good."

Nick Cave added:

"I discovered that the initial trauma of Arthur;s death was the coded cypher through which God spoke, and that God had less to do with faith or belief, and more to do with a way of seeing... I came to understand that God was a form of perception, a means of being alert to the poetic resonance of being. I found God to be woven into all things, even the greatest evils and our deepest despair."

He described the highs and lows of his life after losing his son as:

"Sometimes I feel the world pulsating with a rich, lyrical energy, at other times it feels flat, void, and malevolent. I came to realise that God was present and active in both experiences."

Arthur's 10th death anniversary was a few days ago. Nick Cave concluded:

"I’m not sure what else I've learned, […] except that here we still are, a decade later, living within the radiant heart of the trauma, the place where all thoughts and dreams converge and where all hope and sorrow reside, the bright and teary eye of the storm – this whirling boy who is God, like every other thing. We remember him today."

Nick Cave continues to honor the memory of his son, whom he lost ten years ago. Through deeply personal reflections, he describes his grief as a transformative process, a place where pain, hope, and faith come together.

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