Nick Cave has announced the death of his eldest son Jethro Lazenby at 31 years old.
In a brief statement released by his management, Cave wrote: “With much sadness, I can confirm that my son, Jethro, has passed away. We would be grateful for family privacy at this time.”
The tragic news comes seven years after Arthur, one of Cave’s other children, died after falling from a cliff in 2015. He was 15 years old. A coronial inquest found he had taken LSD before falling to his death.
Jethro Lazenby was born in Melbourne and moved to the UK to work as a model. His career was extensive and included stints with brands Balenciaga, Charles Anastase and Lou Dalton.
Cave told The Guardian in 2008 that he wasn’t in contact with Lazenby for the first few years of his life.
“To my eternal regret, I didn’t make much contact with Jethro in the early years, but I now have a great relationship with him,” he said.
“It was difficult at the time, but it turned out great in the end.”
In an interview with the Evening Standard in 2012, Lazenby said he didn’t actually meet his father until he was “seven or eight”.
“It didn’t start off that great, having all this shit with my dad and being in his shadow,” he said.
Lazenby was recently released from jail in Australia after attacking his mother during an argument. He was found guilty of unlawful assault, but released on bail last Thursday.
No cause of death has been announced.
