For over a decade, Sufjan Stevens has been one of the most celebrated indie rock artists in the world.
He was quite open and always honest about his music, but when discussing his personal life, he usually preferred not to share many details. Now that his new album A spear arrived, the singer-songwriter has officially made the unexpected and touching move.
Stevens took to Instagram to promote the new album, but the post had a lot more to say than just that there’s more music available.
The image was neither an album cover nor a photograph of Stevens. Instead, it was a person that the musician’s fans didn’t initially know, but they quickly realized the meaning of the upload as soon as they read the caption.
The singer-songwriter began the caption of his Instagram post by saying, “JAVELIN drops today. Thank you for listening. I love you,” but then things got heartbreaking.
“This album is dedicated to the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend, Evans Richardson, who passed away in April,” Stevens wrote.
It was an admission that he was, in fact, a member of the LGBT community, but unfortunately it was not accompanied by a celebratory upload, but rather an incredibly sad one.
Stevens went on to call Richardson “a true gem of a man, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, honesty and joy” and stated that the man in the photograph was “one of those rare and wonderful people you only meet once.” for a lifetime – precious, flawless and absolutely exceptional in every way.”
Stevens continued by writing a long statement about the difficulties and joys of love:
“I know relationships can be very difficult sometimes, but it is always worth putting in the hard work and taking care of the ones you love, especially the beautiful ones, of which there are very few.
“If you happen to find such love, hold it tight, hold it tight, enjoy it, take care of it and give it everything you have, especially in difficult times. Be kind, be strong, be patient, be forgiving, be energetic, be wise and be yourself. Live each day as if it were your last, with fullness and grace, with reverence and love, with gratitude and joy. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be happy in this.”
Richardson reportedly attended the Academy Awards with Stevens when he was nominated for his song “Mystery of Love” from Call me by your name. Although they were seen together and those close to the couple apparently knew about their love, they kept it a secret from the public.