‘The Voice’ Winner Girl Named Tom Mourns the Loss Of Their Father: ‘We Are Hurting’
The trio revealed the devastating news with fans on Instagram.
Girl Named Tom; Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC
Sibling trio Girl Named Tom, who was crowned champion of Season 21 of The Voice, revealed that their father, Chris Liechty, has died.
Chris was battling terminal cancer and Josh (24), Caleb (26), and Bekah Liechty (20) were open about their father’s illness while on the show. On Sunday (Jan. 30), the group took to social media to share the news of their father’s passing with fans via video.
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“Key points: 1. Thank you. 2. We are hurting. 3. We are okay,” they captioned the clip.
“We just wanted to come out here and say thank you so much for all of your condolences, sympathy, kindness that you’ve showered us with [through] this whole process,” Bekah shares in the video, which was filmed backstage at the trio’s show at The Holland Theatre in Bellafontaine, Ohio.
Caleb continues, “Yeah, we have three shows the weekend after our father passed. You may be wondering, ‘Why we would do that?’ We are too, sort of. But we went to get them out of the way, so we can really throw ourselves into processing his death and planning his memorial service, which is coming up in the next weekend. So, that’s really important to us.”
Girl Named Tom canceled only one show (on Thursday, Jan. 27) because they admittedly “couldn’t do it,” however, Joshua went on to explain how they continued on with their previously scheduled concerts because it’s what their father wanted them to do.
“And he really wanted us to do these shows,” Joshua says. “He was talking about his death, and he was like, ‘Do not let my death deter you from doing these shows.’ He didn’t get his wish on Thursday night, we canceled one, Sorry dad.”
“He’ll be with us tonight,” Joshua continues to say. “And so we’re just happy to be able to sing while we’re still here, and sing for him, and for everybody else, too.”
Although it was heartbreaking to endure, Girl Named Tom kept fans in the loop throughout their father’s cancer battle. Following their big win on The Voice, they revealed that his condition had worsened and that they immediately left Los Angeles to be by his side.
While on the show, the group even performed the Glen Campbell classic “Wichita Lineman” in his honor and later revealed that their decision to let fans in on what was happening behind the scenes was an important one.
“…And just to share that, that’s a part of real-life too, and not everything is rosy, you know. And as we’re having successes, we’re also having, like, sorrow at the same time. And to kinda like give people a look at that,” Bekah said at the time.
Three weeks after their crowning moment, the group appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where they recalled the moment they were reunited with their family after their big win.
“Not even 24 hours after we won The Voice on that stage, we got to be in the hospital room with our Dad, all of our family together and that was very surreal just to share that moment with them,” Bekah shared.
“They were a huge part of getting us through the experience of The Voice, and so to go back and like share love with them in that room was so special,” Caleb added.
Girl Named Tom shared plans to release new music in 2022 and hopefully embark on a tour.
For the time being, the siblings plan to continue to mourn the loss of their beloved father.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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