A representative for country music star Eric Church has confirmed the death of Church’s brother, Brandon, on Friday, June 29. He appeared with his brother in Eric’s early years in the music business and co-wrote some of his songs like “How ‘Bout You” and “Without You Here,” according to CMT , but they were collaborating on music all the way back to the days of their group The Mountain Boys in the late ’90s. That group was made up of the Church brothers and a couple of Eric’s college roommates at Appalachian State University. Brandon also played guitar for The Mountain Boys. They released an album titled The Mountain Boys Live at the Blues Room .
A scholarship has been set up in Brandon’s honor – the Brandon E. Church Memorial Scholarship Fund .
“This loving memorial is set up to honor Brandon E. Church, beloved son, brother, father and friend. In lieu of flowers, please pay forward a gift that will keep on giving to others through furthering their education. The Brandon E. Church Memorial Scholarship Fund will be used to bless others and honor a benevolent life. Thank you for showing your love and support to the Church family.”
At the writing of this article, the scholarship fund has collected over $16,000.
Heartbreaking news as Eric Church’s brother, Brandon, has passed away. https://t.co/FKpTPTl7rt
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) July 2, 2018
A cause of death has not been announced at this time, but TMZ reports that Brandon suffered a couple of seizures before dying. Kenneth Church, father of Eric and Brandon, told the tabloid news site that his son was at his home in Granite, North Carolina, Friday when he had a seizure. While he was being taken to the hospital, he suffered a second seizure which triggered the cardiac arrest that killed him. Kenneth Church also reported that his son had been suffering from seizures in recent years. Law enforcement officials don’t suspect any foul play and believe Brandon died of natural causes.
Eric Church currently has a concert scheduled for Saturday, July 7 in Fort Laramie, Ohio. He has four other venues scheduled for July and six for August. News about any changes to that date has not yet been announced. Eric’s last album, Mr. Misunderstood , was released in 2015, but he’s rumored to be working on another.
Brandon Church is survived by his brother Eric and his family, his parents Ken and Rita, his sister Kendra and her family, and his daughter McKenzie.
