Blues singer Bonnie Raitt took a break from her career to mourn the loss of her mother, father, brother and best friend after all four passed away within a five-year period.
The Something to Talk About hitmaker hasn't released new music since 2005 and her absence from the industry had many critics wondering if Raitt was transitioning into retirement.
However, the nine-time Grammy Award-winning artist has now spoken out about her time out of the spotlight, revealing she took a short hiatus to stand by her loved ones during their difficult time of need.
She tells People magazine, "Both of my parents passed away in 2004 and 2005. Then my brother was battling brain cancer, and I wanted to take the time to be there for him.
"A dear friend was also battling cancer, and both of them lost this fight within a month of each other in 2009. I went on a tour, and it was great to get away after all that loss but then I stayed home to process the grief that had been pushed to the side."
But that wasn't all - the singer also lost her longtime musician pal Etta James earlier this year (12) and she paid tribute to the At Last star at the 2012 Grammy Awards with Alicia Keys in February (12).
She adds, "She'd always been a role model. I'd go to school on her singing. And we'd been friends since the mid-'70s."