Melissa Etheridge Recalls Her Late Son Beckett Apologizing When He Revealed He Was ‘Straight’

Melissa Etheridge recently opened up about a sweet moment with her late son, Beckett.

“When he was about 11, he came to me, he goes, ‘Mom, I’m sorry, but I think I’m straight,’” Etheridge, who came out as gay in 1993, told Kelly Clarkson during the Wednesday, April 8, episode of her eponymous talk show.

“I tried to tell him it was a phase, but, you know,” the singer, 64, joked.

Etheridge and her former partner, Julie Cypher, share Beckett and daughter Bailey Jean, who they welcomed in the late ‘90s via donated sperm from David Crosby of Crosby, Stills and Nash fame.

After she and Cypher, 61, split, Etheridge was in a relationship with Tammy Lynn Michaels. The former couple welcomed twins Johnnie Rose and Miller Steven in 2006.

“My children are my priority,” Etheridge previously told People in 2017. “I love my children. They are four of the most amazing human beings on earth. I live a very blessed life.”

However, in 2020, the “Come to My Window” singer announced the heartbreaking news that Beckett had died at the age of 21.

“Today I join the thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction. My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today,” Etheridge said in a statement at the time. “He will be missed by those who loved him, his family, and friends. My heart is broken. I am grateful for those who have reached out with condolences and I feel their love and sincere grief.”