It was a night of mixed emotions for Luke Bryan. He was ecstatic to win three awards at the American Country Countdown Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year.
However, his thoughts were also on his guest for the Dec. 15 ceremony: his nephew, whose dad died Nov. 29. Thirteen-year-old Til Cheshire joined the singer and his wife, Caroline, at the show.
When the teen's father, Ben Lee Cheshire, died, that left the boy without any living parents. His mom, Bryan's sister Kelly, died in 2007.
"Til is my sister and my brother-in-law's youngest, and we're going hunting tomorrow on a trip down to south Texas. So he came into town and we dressed him up and let him have a little fun with us tonight," Bryan told People.
"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."
Bryan said he was touched by the outpouring of support from the country music community - and from his fans - after his family's continued tragedies. In addition to his sister, Kelly, and her husband, Bryan also lost his brother, Chris, in a 1996 car accident.
"Many times at night, I would find myself just [scrolling] through my Twitter and reading people saying they were thinking about us. That's a big deal."
"Our family has dealt with a lot of hurt already and then to have this with Lee is a whole 'nother level," he added. "It's nice to know people are thinking about us. It's what gets you through."
After winning the Male Vocalist of the Year award, Bryan recognized the fans who supported him through yet another trying time in his life.
"I wanna thank all of my fans for the past couple of weeks in my life for keeping my family in your prayers," he said. "It's good to feel loved."
