Travis Barker Mourns Fan Who Died at 13: 'You Changed My Life Forever'
Travis Barker is mourning a young fan who changed his life.
The family of 13-year-old Blink-182 fan and fellow drummer Alex Etheridge shared on Instagram that the teen had died from bone cancer, writing, "At 6:08 this morning, Alex took his last breath. He was punk AF and put others first until his final moment. He cherished his relationships with friends and truly loved life. Services will be announced in the coming weeks."
The Blink-182 drummer replied to the heartbreaking news, sharing a letter he wrote to Etheridge after receiving the news of his passing in the comment section.
"Hi Alex, I just wanted to say meeting you changed my life forever. When my daughter Alabama told me about you and your story I couldn't wait to hang. You're one of the nicest people I've met," he wrote. "You are so talented in so many ways. You're a great song writer, drummer and musician. I loved jamming with you playing paradiddles and herta's. I could've hung out with you for days if we had more time."
The letter continued, "Even with everything you were going through you were so strong, happy and present taking it all in. Felt like for those few hours we got to hang out you weren’t in pain or sick anymore. You kept saying, 'am I dreaming like is this really happening' and I just kept saying yes, yes it is!!"
Barker then noted, "As I'm writing this I just got a DM from Alex' Instagram with news that Alex has passed. I scrolled up and read through our messages and I’m crying heartbroken. All I wanted was for this video and message to get to Alex before he passed and I missed him. I will keep my time with Alex close to my heart forever. His impact on me was life changing and I will carry it with me forever on every stage I play on and in every prayer.
The drummer ended his message, writing, "Friends 4L like we said after meeting each other. Till next time Alex ????. "
Etheridge was diagnosed with bone cancer in January 2022. He had the opportunity to record a song with the band Soul Asylum. Then, through the help of Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer, he was connected with his idol, Barker.
They were able to meet for the first time on June 14 at a sold-out show in Etheridge's hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. Barker spent over an hour of one-on-one time with the fan, and even introduced him to wife Kourtney Kardashian over FaceTime.
After the concert, Etheridge told Fox 10 Phoenix, "It was crazy. None of it felt real. I was in there with all the famous people. I felt like I was dreaming after going through such hard days in the hospital."
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