Luke Bryan opens up about taking in his nieces and nephew after his sister’s death

Country music star Luke Bryan may seem like he has it all, but he has had to deal with some tough times in life, just like the rest of us.

In an interview with ABC News, Bryan opened up about the impact that losing several close family members has had on his life.

In 2000, his brother, Chris, was killed in a car accident. Then, just seven years later, his sister, Kelly, also unexpectedly died.

“Just when we started picking up the pieces with my brother, then my sister—we lose my sister,” he told ABC’s Robin Roberts.

Then, in 2014, the family suffered another loss when Kelly’s husband, Ben Cheshire, died, leaving the couple’s three children orphans.

Bryan and his wife, Caroline, decided to take in their nephew, Til, now 15, and college-aged nieces, Jordan and Kris, a decision Caroline says was easy to make.

“We never thought twice about it,” Caroline told Roberts. “You know, it was never something that he and I had to sit down and talk about. ‘Should we take this on?’ We just did that.”

Earlier this year, the couple weathered another tragedy when Caroline’s baby niece, Sadie Brett, passed away in February.

Despite all the hardships his family has endured, Bryan is determined to remain hopeful in the face of adversity.

“I’ve watched my family go through ebbs and flows where we get mad at God and we get mad at why this has happened,” he said in the ABC interview.

“Well, you keep going and you try to, try to be as positive as you can, and you try to appreciate every day. You’ll never get back to 100 percent. You’ll always be working to get back to 75 percent.”

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Bryan also expressed gratitude for all the good in his life, including his professional success and getting to share that with the members of his family who are still with him.

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“Me and my family have gotten together and celebrated and cried over winning Entertainer of the Year [at the 2017 CMA Awards],” he said. “It certainly makes it special when we’re all together and we know that people are smiling down, and they’re with us, celebrating these amazing moments … Music has certainly helped us through this old, crazy ride of life.”

Bryan joked that raising his 15-year-old nephew Til, a teenager, took some getting used to.

“We’re buddies now, though, kinda,” Luke Bryan joked. “Until he makes me … that’s when I get onto him, I’m like, ‘Alright, you’re making me be an adult, don’t make me be an adult!'”

Bryan is even teaching him how to drive, which is sweet.

“He’s just slow poking around, and I’m like … I mean, I’m like the worst parent, because I’m like, ‘C’mon boy, go!'” Luke Bryan added.