At the Ryman Auditorium on February 23, Luke Bryan spoke publicly for the first time about the death of his infant niece, Sadie Brett Boyer, who succumbed to a congenital heart defect on February 21.

During Universal Music Group’s luncheon at the Ryman—which is part of Country Radio Seminar—Luke addressed the crowd, saying: “I’ll tell you what, when I’m checking my socials and see so many of you guys that are kind of lifting my family up, I really appreciate it. It means the world to me.”

Sadie Brett Boyer, who was affectionately known as Brett, was the daughter of Ellen Wells Boyer and Bo Boyer (the brother of Luke’s wife, Caroline).

It’s another sad loss for the Bryan family. In 1996, Luke’s older brother, Chris, died in a car accident, followed by the unexpected death of his sister, Kelly, in 2007. In 2015, tragedy struck again when Luke’s brother-in-law, Ben Lee Cheshire, passed away.