TobyMac says love has made his son's death 'bearable'
TobyMac has posted an emotional message to friends and fans ahead of Thanksgiving, thanking them for their love and acts of kindness after his son's death.
A month after the tragic passing of his eldest son Truett Foster McKeehan, the rapper said in a social media post that he and his family had been surrounded by "overwhelming love".
"As we enter this week of Thanksgiving we have something we'd like to share... Such overwhelming love has surrounded us this last month," he wrote in the Twitter post.
"We still don't quite know which end is up but we do KNOW, we are loved."
He said the family were still mourning but that they were feeling God's love through all of the kindness they had received.
"As we mourn our firstborn son, God has poured out His love on us... through people," he said.
"He has loved us through you....your kind acts and words and prayers and thoughts and songs and poems and teachings and gifts and meals and time and expertise and travel have made death bearable."
Truett died at just 21 years old. He had been planning to become a rapper like his dad and had held his first live concert days before passing away.
The performance was the last time TobyMac, real name Toby McKeehan, saw him before leaving for Canada on his concert tour.
After his son's death, he spoke movingly about how proud he had been seeing him perform. He also cancelled his remaining tour dates and flew back to the family home in Tennessee.
In his Twitter post, TobyMac shared poignant photos from his son's funeral and said that his friends and fans had been "God's light to us in our darkest days ... a comfort to our broken hearts".
"We have experienced family at every layer and every turn," he said.
"From the closest to those who have loved from a distance, thank you, thank you a thousand times over. We are grateful for your gentle and compassionate hearts. It is something we will ...never forget. Community as it should be...the body at its best. How God must be pleased!"