Zach Bryan | Anette Mullen Bryan and Her Son Zach Bryan | Source: Getty Images | Instagram/zachlanebryan
Zach Bryan's mother, Annette DeAnn Bryan, was instrumental in her son's musical career, which he began only a year before she died. She was among the first people who recognized Zach's talent, and her relationship with him became the source of his inspiration and determination in life and death.
Despite odds that threatened to stand in the way of the late Annette DeAnn Bryan and her relationship with her only son, Zach Bryan, the two had an unbreakable bond. It remains prevalent in Zach's music, the lyrics of which have touched many hearts.
Although she was among the first people who saw a musical talent in her son, Annette died at 49 years old, just years before Zach catapulted to stardom. Her death left an indelible mark on her son, who has commemorated the anniversary of her passing with brief online anecdotes of how his life is going without her presence.
Annette DeAnn Bryan Loved to Take Care of People
Annette drew her first breath in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on June 24, 1967, born to Proctor and Barbara Ann Sherman Mullen. She attended Chandler High School and graduated in 1985. Per her Facebook bio, she then enrolled at "northesatern a&m," which is likely Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.
There, she attained a Communications degree and worked as Communications Specialist for the U.S. Navy between 1993 and 2007. Between 2012 and 2016 (the year she died), Annette served as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Chandler Nursing Center.
According to her online obituary, she enjoyed working in that profession because it allowed her to "care for many people." She loved spending time with her children, either listening to Zach play his guitar or watching "So You Think You Can Dance?" with his sister. The obituary also revealed that she was once a gymnastics instructor.
Zach Bryan's Mother Knew His Potential
It was something even her former husband admitted. Annette was married to Dewayne Bryan, with whom she welcomed Zack and his sister, MacKenzie Bryan. The couple divorced when Zach was 12, and Dewayne won full custody of his son.
Despite that settlement, Zach maintained a close relationship with his mom, who struggled with alcohol abuse. He believed she was watching him and became his guiding light in the darkness that "solidified" after her death. He released his first album, "DeAnn," in her honor in August 2019, and it was a record with which many could resonate.
The Death of Zach Bryan's Mom Solidified the Darkness in Life for Him
Zach opened up about how his mother's passing affected him, reflecting, "I think my mom dying really solidified the darkness in life to me. It opened that thing in you that's like, 'Hey, be a man now.'" Two months after she died, he wrote that he would be lonely until the day he saw Annette again.
In 2018, he penned another dedication to her, saying, "2 years, huh. Hope you found someone to worry about up there. I moved to Washington, I found a girl, I served in Africa, I bought a bronco, found a church." Zach added that he wished he could tell her about all the things that transpired in his life in those two years.
Still, he said he loved Annette "more than life" and missed her dearly. Sadly, she never lived to see his second album garner a fanbase that grew exponentially and helped debut his third album, "American Heartbreak," as number one on the Billboard Country Albums Chart.
Zach is among many other country crooners, such as Lainey Wilson, whose life stories played a catalyzing role in their successes. Others had challenging relationships with their loved ones, such as Ryan Upchurch, Wynonna Judd, whose daughter kept landing on the wrong side of the law, and LeeAnn Rimes.
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