Nick Cave Says 'Mutual Support' He Gets from Fans at Concerts 'Saves' Him After Losing Sons

Nick Cave learned to lean on the support of his fans as he waded through the grief of losing two of his sons.

The Australian rocker, 64, talked to The New York Times about the tragic deaths of his 15-year-old son Arthur in 2015, and his oldest son Jethro, 31, this past May, and said that playing concerts has helped him heal.

Cave said that after Arthur died, he was "thrust into the darkest place imaginable, where it was almost impossible to be able to see outside of despair."

As he and his wife Susie grieved the loss of their son, the Bad Seeds frontman found solace in the letters that began to pour in from fans who'd been through similar experiences, and were willing to share the little things that helped them.

"The concerts that I did following that, too — the care from the audience saved me," he said. "I was helped hugely by my audience, and when I play now, I feel like that's giving something back. What I'm doing artistically is entirely repaying a debt."

That sense of relief has extended over the years, especially after dealing with the loss of Jethro, which Cave said is still "difficult to talk about."

"The concerts themselves and this act of mutual support saves me," he said. "People say, How can you go on tour? But for me it's the other way around. How could I not?"

Cave said he now sees his audience in a different light, and for the first time in his decades-long career, feels "deeply moved" by his crowd.

"[It's] like the scales have fallen off my own eyes in respect to what they are both as a community and as individuals," he said. "I don't know if I'm making any sense, but to now see an audience moved by what you're doing — it's an enormous privilege."

Jethro, whom Cave shared with ex Beau Lazenby, was a model and actor. He was found dead in a motel in Melbourne, Australia, and a cause of death has not been released.

Though Jethro did not learn Cave was his father until he was around 8 years old, Cave said in a 2008 interview that he and his son had developed "a great relationship."

Arthur, meanwhile, died in 2015 after falling from a cliff in Brighton, England. He left behind twin brother Earl, as well as half-brother Luke, whom Cave shares with ex-wife Viviane Carneiro.

The musician explored Arthur's death and its effect on his family in the 2016 documentary One More Time with Feeling and albums including 2016's Skeleton Tree and 2019's Ghosteen.

A series of interviews between Cave and journalist Seán O'Hagan titled Faith, Hope and Carnage is out on Sept. 20.