Getty Images
In a rare comment on his personal life, singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens posted a lengthy social media message dedicating his new album, “Javelin,” out today, to his late partner Evans Richardson, chief of staff at the Studio Museum in Harlem, who died on April 30th at the age of 43.
“This album is dedicated to the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend Evans Richardson, who passed away in April,” Stevens writes (see Instagram post below). “He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity and joy. He was one of those rare and beautiful people you only find once in a lifetime – precious, flawless and absolutely exceptional in every way.”
Stevens’ new album is about the loss of a romantic relationship, with the single “So You Are Tired” referencing a long-term relationship (“So you are tired of us/So rest your head/Turning back fourteen years/Of what I did and said “).
The social media engagement marks a rare, perhaps unique, statement from the intensely private Stevens on the subject of his love life, a departure from the reticence that has caused considerable speculation over the years from fans and music critics alike. Stevens, who first came to attention on the indie scene in the 1990s and made his mainstream breakthrough in 2005 with the song “Chicago,” typically declined to discuss his personal life in interviews, although he was candid after the speech He spoke about his strained relationship with his mother after her death on the 2015 album Carrie & Lowell.
In his blog post today, he wrote: “I know relationships can be very difficult at times, but it’s always worth working hard and taking care of the people you love, especially the beautiful people you only have to “If you happen to find this kind of love, hold on to it, hold it, 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 glad in this.”
Last month, Stevens announced that he had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and was learning to walk again after the neurological disorder left him immobile. After a two-week hospital stay, he was transferred to acute rehabilitation. In a blog post yesterday, he wrote that he would be released from the facility today and continue with outpatient therapy.
A cause of death for Richardson has not been announced.