Luke Bell's family and close friends are remembering his "gentle" personality less than a week after the rising country music star was found dead at age 32.
"We have lost our beloved son, brother and friend and we are heartbroken. Luke had a gentle heart, a wanderer’s spirit and a musical gift that he was fortunate to share with us and the world," Bell's loved ones told NBC News in a statement.
They also thanked the musician's fans for "embracing Luke and his music."
Bell's family and friends said the musician had struggled with mental illness, which had "progressed" after his father died.
"Unfortunately Luke suffered from the disease of mental illness, which progressed after his father’s death in 2015. Luke was supported through his disease by a community of loving family and friends. Despite this, he was unable to receive the help he needed to ease his pain," they said in their statement.
"Our hearts go out to the millions of people affected by mental illness who, like us, understand the devastating disappointment of a system that consistently fails to provide caring solutions to those who suffer," they added.
Bell's loved ones asked the musician's fans to respect their privacy as they deal with their loss. They concluded their statement, "Our only comfort comes in the fact that our Luke is finally free and at peace."
Bell was found dead in Tucson, Arizona, on Aug. 26, Tucson Police Department Officer Frank Magos confirmed to TODAY on Tuesday.
The “Where Ya Been?” singer had been reported missing on Aug. 20, the Tucson Police Department told the New York Post.
A cause of death for the musician has not yet been revealed. An investigation into the case is ongoing.
On Wednesday, after Bell's death was confirmed, the Academy of Country Music tweeted that it was “a sad day for our Country Music community.”
In a 2016 interview with The Boot, a website covering the country music industry, Bell said becoming a professional singer was “a big deal.”
“At the time, absolutely. It was a very different route to take; there aren’t any musicians in my family,” he said. “College really wasn’t doing it for me, and I was looking for an independent platform to go learn, and music was that.”
Bell told the outlet that focusing on the positive helped him stay driven to make music. “I live in the day, and I count smiles. That’s it," he said.
“Life’s not that bad. The downside, in some ways, is I don’t have a wife and kids, but at the same time, it’s pretty ideal right now,” he said. “I just travel around to other cities and hang out with other people.”