Music Is Medicine: How Eddie Rabbitt Coped With His Son’s Passing

wilburscott YouTube Channel via legacy.com

Following the 1986 passing of his son, Eddie Rabbitt opens up about how country music uplifted his soul.

Rabbitt’s son, Timmy, was born in August of 1983 with biliary atresia, a debilitating liver disorder. Timmy’s only chance of survival was a liver transplant, but after surgery his body rejected the organ.

The Rabbitt family was distraught, but the tragedy inspired Eddie Rabbitt to be a better man, and he soon became the honorary chairman of the American Council on Transplantation, as well as began working on his next record.

In an interview with People Magazine, Rabbitt revealed, “I weave the pain and suffering [of Timmy’s death] through my songs. It’s a piece of wisdom, but you pay for wisdom.“

By 1986, Rabbitt released his tenth studio album, Rabbitt Trax. The album produced four outstanding singles, including “A World Without Love”, “Repetitive Regret”, “Gotta Have You” and the chart-topping, “Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)”.

After the release of the album, Rabbitt admitted that his life was finally coming back together, although the pain of losing a son would never heal. In an interview with The Sumter Daily, Rabbitt said, “The sun is coming up now. For a couple of years, it was one gray day after another.“ He then went on to say, “I feel good. Time has a way of helping,” he continued, “There’s laughter in the house again. Everyone seems to feel good.” 

R.I.P. Timmy Rabbitt, you will always be in our hearts.