Country Stars Who Survived Unthinkable Tragedies: Blake Shelton, Wynonna Judd and More

The singer tragically lost his brother, 24-year-old Richie Shelton, in 1990.

Blake Shelton was just 14 years old at the time that Richie was killed in a car crash.

"My brother was my big brother. I mean, I wanted to be like him," said Blake. "So when he was killed in a car accident, it was literally like the world went silent ... I remember picking up the phone to call him a week after he was dead ... it was constantly like a shock to me that he was dead. There was a void in my world all of a sudden, and I'm still not over it. I'm just used to it."

Over the years, Blake has paid homage to Richie every year on the anniversary of his death, saying, "He's still my hero ... wish everyone could've known him."

Blake and first wife Miranda Lambert wrote a song called "Over You" to help him grieve the loss.

The Voice alum also lost close friend Toby Keith to cancer in February when the 62-year-old died from stomach cancer. The Oklahoma native had toured with Keith and looked up to him as a "friend, hero and an inspiration."

In March of 1991, Reba McEntire lost eight members of her band and crew — who she was very close with — when they were all killed, along with the pilot and copilot, in a plane crash near San Diego.

The tragedy hit her hard, and she couldn't bring herself to speak about it publicly.

"Reba is totally devastated by this," said her rep at the time. "It's like losing part of your family."

She finally found some peace by throwing herself into her music, recording songs in their honor on her next album, For My Broken Heart.

"I guess the world ain't gonna stop for my broken heart," were some of the lyrics she wrote after her heartbreaking loss.

Every year, she remembers them on the anniversary of their deaths. This year, on social media, she wrote, "33 years ago today since Heaven gained some great angels."

The country star's mother, Naomi, who toured with Wynonna for years as country music duo The Judds and performed their trademark hit "Love Can Build a Bridge," committed suicide with a shotgun at home in Tennessee on April 30, 2022. The 76-year-old had struggled with mental health issues.

Naomi's actress daughter Ashley Judd was home at the time and found her mother after she shot herself.

"I can't quite wrap my head around it and I don't know that I ever will. That she left the way she did," Wynonna Judd said.

She also shared the last words she told her mother.

"The last thing I said to her was ‘I love you,' and I'm so grateful for that," said Wynonna, who describes her mother as being "always so determined."

"With the same determination she had to live, she was determined to die. It's hard to comprehend how someone can be so strong and yet so vulnerable." Wynonna said she would never understand why Naomi chose to die, but "you have to make peace with the fact that you don't know. Sometimes there are no answers."

The grief-stricken daughter went on to say, "She was by herself a lot ... One of my regrets is that I was so busy. She often talked about how lonesome it is in that house without us."

The Georgia native and American Idol judge hasn't had it easy.

When Luke Bryan was 19 and planning his move to Nashville, his family was shaken by the death of the singer's older brother, Chris, in a car accident. The tragedy was so great Luke decided not to pursue his dreams.

"When Chris passed away, it was devastating because no one was more fired up about me going to Nashville than him," said Luke, who remained home, going to college and working for his dad on the farm. But after a push from his father, he was able to move forward.

Shortly after his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2007, Luke's sister, Kelly, passed away from unknown causes. Seven years later, her husband died of a heart attack.

Luke and his wife, Caroline, who have two sons, then adopted his two nieces and a nephew.

"I have to remember there are people out there that have gone through similar stuff that I have," he said. "And so me telling my story of how we get through this as a family, you pray and you feel like you're going to help some people."

On Christmas Day in 1991, Willie Nelson's first son, Billy, 33, was found dead at his log cabin in Tennessee. Officials said he was legally drunk at the time of his death, which was around 2 a.m. He had committed suicide by hanging himself, and the tragedy sent shock waves through Willie's family.

"Those were bad times," said Willie, who had to survive for his seven other kids.

The country legend's sister Bobbie said she and Willie "grew even closer" after Billy's death.

"It's not that we had long talks about our grief — that's not Willie's way," she said. "We didn't have to talk about it. We knew."

Willie told a pal, "I've never experienced anything so devastating in my life."

In 1994, Willie completed and released the album he and Billy had been working on, Peace in the Valley, including a special duet between father and son called "My Body's Just a Suitcase for My Soul."