Nick Cave has revealed that he can still feel the presence of his late son Arthur, who tragically fell off a cliff in 2015 at the age of 15 in the UK.
In a Q&A post to the Red Hand Files, Cave was asked by a fan if he believed in signs, and was told by a different fan that she still felt the presence of her late husband. Cave shared that ladybird beetles, Arthur’s favourite insect, have appeared unusually more frequently since his death.
In a Q & A session with fans, Nick Cave has revealed he still feels the presence of his late son, who tragically died falling off a cliff at the age of 15.
“Often, while grieving, many of us are gripped by a form of madness, and start to believe, against our better judgments, all manner of lunacies and magical thinking; we believe our loved ones visit us in our dreams, we see them across crowded rooms, we think we hear their voices, we believe they inhabit other forms, we feel their ghost-hands in our own, we experience their presence “all-around”. “
Cave then went on to describe his experience:
“Two days after our son died, Susie and I went to the cliff where he fell. Now, when Arthur was a small child, he always, always, had a thing about ladybird beetles. He loved them. He drew them. He identified with them. He constantly talked about them. As we sat there, a ladybird landed on Susie’s hand. “
“When we returned home, as I was opening the door to our house, another ladybird landed on my hand. Since then Susie and I see ladybirds everywhere.”
He continued, “When Warren (Ellis) and I were working on the last album a plague of ladybirds came into the studio. I don’t know what to make of this phenomenon, but each time I see a ladybird I receive a kind of jolt of recognition that maybe something is at play within the world that is beyond my comprehension, even though it is, in all probability, just ladybird season.”
Directly speaking about signs, Cave said that he preferred to say that he has made a “commitment to the uncertain nature of the world,” sharing, “my advice to the both of you is quietly, covertly, embrace the mystery that presents itself. It is yours alone.”
The Red Hand Files have long-been a forum for Nick Cave to communicate more personally with his fans, one time even calling out a homophobic fan.
