Christian hip-hop artist Toby McKeehan, better known by his stage name TobyMac, wrote the song “21 Years” after his son died of an accidental overdose.
Truett Foster McKeehan passed in October 2019.
After his tragic loss, TobyMac channeled his grief into this song, which focuses on the anguish and questioning the singer felt over the tragedy.
When he released the song, TobyMac shared these words with his fans, “’21 Years’ is a song I wrote about the recent passing of my firstborn son, Truett Foster McKeehan. I loved him with all my heart. Until something in life hits you this hard, you never know how you will handle it. I am thankful that I have been surrounded by love, starting with God’s and extending to community near and far that have walked with us and carried us every day. Writing this song felt like an honest confession of the questions, pain, anger, doubt, mercy and promise that describes the journey I’m probably only beginning. The rest is yet to come. One thing I know is that I am not alone. God didn’t promise us a life of no pain or even tragic death, but He did promise He would never leave us or forsake us. And I’m holding dearly to that promise for my son as well as myself.”
TobyMac did an interview with 99.1 Joy FM to discuss losing a child. Click the video below to watch.
After a tragic loss, we can lose faith in God.
Why would He take someone I loved from me?
Am I being punished?
Why doesn’t God love me?
We must not walk away from Him. We might not understand, but God doesn’t promise that we will, only that He will be there. He is a promise maker and keeper; you must hold onto this. Even though life has changed, the one thing that hasn’t is His love for us. For now, we must find comfort that our departed loved ones are walking with God and are part of our future. We will all rejoice in the day we see them once again.
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Truett was an aspiring rapper, hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps. After his passing, his family set up a foundation called the Truett Foster Foundation, which raises money to help kids pursue an education in music.
Written by: Paige Muttillo | Marketing Manager | Catholic Cemeteries Association
Faith, Hope, and Remembrance 