Slash has opened up about the loss of his stepdaughter with an emotional message: “My heart is permanently fractured.”

On Monday July 22, in a statement posted to Slash’s social media, it was announced that his stepdaughter Lucy-Bleu Knight had passed away at the age of 25. While no information was given as to the nature of her death, he and Knight’s family requested that “social media speculation be kept to a minimum as they grieve and process this devastating loss”.

The Guns N’ Roses guitarist has now broken his silence, speaking publicly about her for the first time since her passing. “My heart is permanently fractured. I will never ever stop missing you & remembering what a beacon of happiness, laughter, creativity & beauty you have always been. & still are. The brightest light in the lives of so many that loved you so much. I find solace in the hope that you are at peace now. I will love you eternally,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.

Slash gets condolences from friends

Slash’s message was met with many other musicians and artists expressing condolences to him and Knight’s family, including Tom Morello, Lenny Kravitz, Fergie, Daughtry, and actors Jason Momoa and Norman Reedus.

Lucy was the daughter of Slash’s longtime girlfriend Meegan Hodges. Slash and Hodges dated during the early days of Guns N’ Roses but broke up, with Slash later marrying and having children with Perla Ferrar. After Slash’s messy divorce with Perla, he got back together with Hodges around the same time he reunited with Guns N’ Roses. Slash and Hodges have frequently posted about their affection for one another on social media, with Hodges frequently posting photos of flowers Slash has gotten her while away on tour.