Luke Bryan says sister died of ‘sudden death syndrome’: What is it?

(NEXSTAR) – Country star Luke Bryan opened up about the 2007 death of his sister in a recent podcast appearance, calling the circumstances surrounding her sudden passing “tragic beyond words.”

“I’ve never really explained what happened to my sister. There’s some misinformation out there on the internet, and I think some people kind of like, wonder what happened and they think that we’ve tried to cover it up,” Bryan explained on the latest edition of “All There Is,” a podcast hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “But there is a very, very small percentage of people that die for no reason in the world. And it’s called sudden death syndrome and that’s essentially what they, um, they described my sister’s death as.”

Bryan said his sister, Kelly Cheshire, was “in her home doing her laundry, and … it was like, you know, somebody just turned the switch off on her.

An autopsy was unable to determine Cheshire’s cause of death, the results being “inconclusive,” according to Bryan. But he explained that she suffered an “orbital bone injury” (a fracture of the bones surrounding the eye) during the incident.

“So whether she fainted or not, I think she may have went into the floor and kind of knocked herself out,” he said.

What is ‘sudden death syndrome’?

Bryan didn’t go into further detail about “sudden death syndrome” or what he learned (or hadn’t) since his sister’s passing. But medical experts say sudden arrhythmia death syndromes, or SADS, can be the result of heart conditions marked by an abnormal heartbeat, or an arrhythmia, which itself is caused by a “problem with your heart’s electrical system,” according to Cleveland Clinic.

SADS conditions are classified as sudden cardiac arrests (SCA), but affect children or younger, seemingly healthy adults.

“It is estimated that over half of the 4,000 SADS deaths each year of children, teens, or young adults have one of the top two warning signs: 1) family history — of a SADS diagnosis or sudden unexplained death (usually undiagnosed and untreated) of a family member, or 2) fainting,” the SADS Foundation explains.

The specific causes of fatal SADS cases are often unexplained, even with autopsies. But researchers have identified several factors that may be indicators of patients who could be susceptible, such as a family history of sudden cardiac events, chest pain or shortness of breath during exertion, and seizures or fainting when excited, particularly in children, according to the SADS Foundation and study results published with the American Heart Association Journals.

Genetic tests and electrocardiograms can also identify conditions which may increase the risk of SADS, like Brugada syndrome, or long/short QT syndromes, among others. (Brugada, long QT and short QT syndromes are conditions characterized by abnormal heart rhythms.)

Treatment begins by identifying any warning signs and undergoing testing. Those with higher risk factors can also work with their healthcare providers to manage their conditions, learn which medications are safe (and not) for their bodies, and have a plan in place (including educating loved ones on CPR) in the event of an incident. The SADS Foundation also offers resources for those living with inherited electric heart diseases.

Bryan, on Cooper’s podcast, also discussed his older brother’s death in a car accident at 26 years old, as well as his brother-in-law’s (Cheshire’s husband’s) death a few years after hers.

“I think the grief comes and goes in waves,” he told Cooper, explaining that it helps to talk about it. He learned this, partly, when talking with a 9-year-old fan during a meet-and-greet at a concert in North Carolina.

“He goes, ‘Mr. Luke, I lost my sister a couple of months ago, and I want to know how you get through life.’”

Bryan said he told the boy to continue his relationship with his sister, and talk to her “like she’s still here … treat her like she’s here every day of your life.”

“When that boy did that, it really affirmed my need to talk about my loss,” Bryan said.