Christian hip-hop artist TobyMac spoke out Thursday evening, following the tragic death Wednesday of his eldest son Truett Foster McKeehan, who was only 21 years old.
“Truett Foster McKeehan had joy that took the room when he entered,” TobyMac wrote in a statement shared on his Facebook page. “He was a magnetic son and brother and friend. If you met him, you knew him, you remembered him.”
The Christian entertainer went on to praise his late son, who was a recording artist in his own right, for his talent, praising him for not taking “the easy route” and producing music as a young kid or teenager.
Instead, TobyMac wrote, McKeehan “wanted to live some life” and “wanted to be a man with scars and a story to tell” — an aspiration TobyMac said he “always admired, respected, and encouraged.”
As for his eldest son’s faith, TobyMac said McKeehan always had a “soft spot” in his heart for God, noting the Bible “moved him,” although he wasn’t a “cookie cutter Christian.”
“But give me a believer who fights to keep believing,” the 55-year-old entertainer wrote of his child. “Give me a broken man who recognizes his need for a Savior every time. That’s who Truett was and how he should be remembered.”
The last time TobyMac saw McKeehan was at his son’s first show at a venue in Franklin, Tennessee, right before he left for his Canadian tour, the remainder of which he postponed after learning about his son’s untimely death at their family home in Nashville.
The cause of McKeehan’s passing has not been revealed, as it is still under investigation.
TobyMac also shared the final text message exchange he had with McKeehan, praising his son for his “amazing” show in Tennessee. He told his son he had “infectious” joy, adding he is “very, very, very proud” of him.
In response, McKeehan wrote, “Love you, dad. Thank you so much. You have always believed in me, make me feel like a superhero.”