Luke Bryan Accompanied by Orphaned Nephew at Country Awards
Dec. 16, 2014— -- Luke Bryan had a very special date for Monday's American Country Countdown Awards: his recently orphaned nephew, Til.
The singer brought along the 13-year-old, whose father, Ben Lee Cheshire, Bryan's brother-in-law, died last month at the age of 39.
"Til is my sister and my brother-in-law's youngest, and we're going hunting tomorrow on a trip down to south Texas," Bryan, 38, told People. "So he came into town and we dressed him up and let him have a little fun with us tonight."
He added, "My wife Caroline took him shopping and got him some nice clothes and I loaned him one of my watches, so he's having a good time."
The teen sat between Bryan and his wife.
Cheshire was the husband of Bryan's late sister Kelly, who died in 2007, also at the age of 39. Cheshire is survived by his three children, who are now all in their teens.
The singer was making his first public appearance since his brother-in-law's death. Earlier this month, he skipped an appearance at the CMT Artists of the Year special to remain home in Georgia with his family.
As he accepted Monday night's male vocalist of the year trophy, he told the audience, "I want to get serious just for a second. I want to thank all of my fans for the last couple of weeks in my life, for keeping my family in your prayers. And I want to also recognize the country music community, all the artists."
He continued, "Fans, let me explain something to you: You guys support wonderful artists, because they have rallied around me and helped me and my family through the last couple of weeks. It's just nice to feel loved ... thank you guys for an amazing 2014."
Bryan has been open about not only losing his sister, but his only brother years earlier after a car accident.
The "That's My Kind of Night" singer, 38, spoke to ABC News last year, saying about his brother's death, "You never truly ... move beyond it."
"My only older siblings ... gone from the world, in a flash in two, two different, crazy, tragic manners, that ... we'll never know, and never understand," he continued about his loss. "You can lean on friends and family through it ... and you can get back life."
