Tragedy in Tennessee
Filed under: Music Minute > Sad Sad
Contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman lost his youngest child on Wednesday evening after a horrible accident in the family home.
According to reports, the singer's daughter was struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Tennessee house.
Several children were playing in the area at the time of the accident.
The teen said he did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her.
Authorities say no charges are expected.
The accident was witnessed by two other children.
So sad.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Chapman family.
[Image via WENN.]
Posted: May 22, 2008 at 12:15 pm
wow.. thats horrible, my prayers go out to his family too
This is such sad news. My prayers and thoughts are with this family. We serve a big God. A God that is loving and kind enough to provide us with free will. With free will comes the many accidents and mistakes that we as humans make. In no way is God or Jesus responsible for this, He is there with the family and will be the one to get the family through this tough time! Thanks Perez for posting this!
as a resident of nashville and someone who knows the story of the Chapman family and their three adopted daughters from China and the amazing history of love and care that go with their family name, i am deeply sad for this tragedy.
thanks for posting this one, perez. this family needs our condolences and prayers.
Re: Brooke – She was adopted from China, NOT Japan!!! He has three daughters from China, and three biological children.
As a mother to 2 daughters from China, this really hit home. Please, those of you with children, give them an extra hug today. Life is really short. Enjoy every moment!
ummm, in the driveway??? how fast does this kid pull into his driveway that it would kill his sister!?!? and he didnt think to look for the child who probably always plays in the driveway before pulling in?? what a fucktard! how sad for the family though
Re: poop –
Go and Poop off a-hole..people have the right to believe in god, respect that stupid..leave this family alone and leave people the f*ck alone when they loose someone..it is a devastating feeling. Have some respect.
Re: WTF!?!? – You don't have to be driving fast to kill a child. It happens all the time. There are "blind spots" in your rearview mirror, making it difficult if not impossible to see things. And he was driving an SUV.
Please people, don't make crass comments at a time like this! This is a tragedy. It was the brother who was driving the SUV. Can you imagine the guilt that will torment him every day for the rest of his life??? Those of you who are making terrible comments during this sad time…shame on you!!!
I have been a fan of SCC since the early 90's. He is an incredible man and is incredibly inspirational. I will pray for him and his family. God keep his son in his hands.
See what happens when you worship a hateful, destructive, mean, vindictive, awful "god"?
Re: Sorry About The Kid – You have to be F*cking Kidding me…I am not a religious person by any means and I listen to Christian music. By the way GOD had nothing to do with this, he wasn't behind the wheel of the car.
Re: Sorry About The Kid –
your a fucking asshole
Wow- there are some really cold people out there. I don't care of you believe in God or not, this family just lost a child that was dear to them and have to live with that pain for the rest of their lives. God did not punish them for being sinful nor does He give them extra luck for being Christians. He does not promise believers that nothing bad will ever happen to them, but rather that He will never leave them and will give them peace. For those of you who hate God, at least take them time to understand what you are denying. Sometimes the comments are so ignorant it really makes me sad for you.
Re: audrey arellano –
you stupid sick bitch, how could you say that?
Thanks for posting this on your blog. My prayers go to their family in this horrible time of grief.
Re: Jimbo! – Do you really think God made this happen? God is not a good luck charm. Your description of Him is like He is nothing more than a rabbits foot! God does not promise an easy life- look at Christians, we have to put up with the perscecution of non believers - and I must say, people would never be allowed to talk about another minority group the way people talk about Christians. I suggest that you read the new testament and find out who God really is becasue your comments show that you do not truely know.
Poor kid; he's gonna be scarred for life. BTW, to all the crazy ass right wing christians who think Obama is the anti-christ; wouldn't you all want him to become president? That way you crazy fools will get home sooner.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Chapman family. The sad thing is he has a really sweet song about dancing with "Cinderella" his daughter. What a tragedy. You know she is in a better place Steven. Just pray
I am a big fan of Steven Curtis Chapman. This is truly heartbreaking. My prayers go out to the family.
is this the adopted daughter?
wow that is so sad.
he even wrote a song for her.. When Love Takes You In..
real tragedy..
Praying for them all.
www.shaohannahshope.com please support his charity to support orphans, they have opened a fund for Maria.
This is so sad. They are such good people - truly good in every way. Angelina and Brad have gotten so much attention for adopting children from overseas, and the Chapmans have done it three times. They even started a foundation to help families adopt children from China. It just breaks my heart.
This is truly heart breaking. Steven Curtis Chapman is such a great singer and Christian and I feel so sorry for his loss. He and his family are in my prayers.
Re: audrey arellano –
what are you, like 10? nobody wants to read that shit. grow the fuck up.
CRUNCH!
I guess God hates him…
It always makes me wonder how sad some peoples lives are that need to post comments just to piss other people off. I start to read them, and then just ignore them and think, how sad these people really are.
This tragedy has hit home for alot of us locals. It is a truly sad time right now here in Nashville. So so so sad.
Well, since they are CHRISTIANS, it's "god's will", and they should be HAPPY that god wanted that child back… right? isn't that their logic from 2,000 years ago fairy tales? Maybe if he spent a little LESS time singing christin tunes, and a little MORE time watching the kid, this wouldn't have happened.
Not much sympathy from me. I say lock both parents up in jail so other kids are safer.
Re: audrey arellano –
I just looked at your myspace to see who the fuck would say something so dumb and you're even UGLIER than your thoughtless comment. Sucks for you!
Re: gene pool queers join hands – You have NO idea what you are talking about!! This family is nothing but the most loving and loyal family. Maybe you should be as careful with your comments as you are with your driving!!!!!
She was from China, as were 2 of his other daughters.
Some people are so sick! I don't understand… if you don't believe in God yet you promote to give everyone equality and to love everyone as they are, how you people are usually the most vile and hateful people I hear speak against anyone who doesn't believe the same as you. How could you make fun of someone who just lost a five year old to a SERIOUSLY tragic situation? I do happen to be a Christian and my heart and prayers go out to this family. Accidents do happen and can happen to ANYONE. Thanks Perez for posting this. All of you posting extremely rude comments should really think about what a waste of your life it is to look for negative things in other people's lives to bash and tear down all the time and maybe check up on your own life to see why you have so much anger inside.
Thanks for being so classy, Perez!
the web site www.GospelMusicUpdate.com has more photos of the little girl in a slide show with her dad.
Ugh…how very sad all around, that family lost that precious little girl and her brother has to live with the fact that he killed her for the rest of his life. My heart goes out to this family and hope that they rely on their faith to get them through this terrible time.
Re: gene pool queers join hands – your an idiot. Children can be VERY hard to see if they are behind a car. You don't know the circumstances butthole! Why are some ppl such ignorant asshats??
Re: audrey arellano – GROW UP!!!!!!!!!!
Re: DO NOT ELECT A GAY BLACK MUSLIM – hey Big Caps-Little Dick,
shut the fuck up!
"Where is his God now"….What a horrible thing to say. Bad things happen in this world. He is Perfect, but we live in a imperfect World. Mathew 5:4- "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted".
thanks rez for putting this up, i had no idea…
my girlfriend and i saw him in concert last fall here in va and all his kids, including his little girl where here with him…after the concert, while my g/f and i where out in the foyer of the church getting souveniers, his little girl was running around in the masses of people just having a good time - she was so cute….this is really sad news…
i feel really sorry for her brother also…
and for those who cry abuse - next time you are in a parking lot LOOK at how tall a small child is compared to the trunk line on a car, then a full sized suv. very easy to miss if an unfortunate series of angles combine..
This is such a tragedy. The whole family was together celebrating his oldest daughters engagement and their sons graduation. My heart is breaking for them. The Chapman family have been so generous when it comes to adoption and supporting families who can't always afford the cost that it entails. May they find peace in this horrible time.
The father should be put in jail! What an irresponsible dad to let his 14 year old play with a deadly weapon. There should be laws made. I mean, I can see having the freedom to own a car- within reason, but there should be laws to stop this from happening.
There are no gods, and there's no beings in space that control what happens to us. No matter how hard you pray, no one is listening. Bad things happen to all of us, sometime or another. Just part of life. But really, get over the need to believe in a god. We're all we've got.
Oh….no… =( How absolutely horrible. He's lost his little Cinderella. I won't be able to listen to that song without crying now, but what a blessing the last single he wrote was about his two little Cinderellas. It makes me and I hope every parent who hears the song appreciate every moment we have w/our kids b/c they will be gone one day.
I agree w/another poster, SUVS kill. Read up on it, fatal accidents= caused by SUVS. YOU may be safe, but you KILL other people. They make the roads unsafe and should be banned except for all terrain use.
Re: Le Roi Est Mort –
YOU'RE A RUDE ASSHOLE!!!!! I hope your parents are proud of you……. have a heart jerk.
Re: audrey arellano –
YOU ARE SO FUCKING RUDE!!!!!!!!!! I hope you see her smiling sweet face in the youtube videos and feel awful for saying that about a poor 5 year old innocent child that DIED!
Re: jen –
You're fucking rude. What a stupid comment. I bet your parents are ashamed of you.
Re: Sorry About The Kid –
you're disgusting
Re: Jimbo! –
Stuff like this happens whether someone believes in God or not. Have some respect for the family asshole.
Re: King of Mean –
You're a dumbass and have no logic. Fine if people aren't Christians and don't believe in God, that's your right, but don't be an asshole to someone who does believe in God-Steven has done nothing to you and it's not like he sits around singing songs all day. Sounds like you are bitter??? He can be a Christian just like you can choose not to. HAVE SOME RESPECT YOU STUPID ASSHOLES!!!!!!!
so sad, and i hope people have enough class to keep religious jokes out of this one…i can't imagine the pain this family is going through…
It's a well known fact that chinese people have no soul…. so don't sweat the little girl. I wonder if they made her brother hose off the driveway?
Re: Le Roi Est Mort – His God is cradling him in his arms right now - that is where his God is. His God is bringing him comfort - that's where his God is.
Re: Question For The Christians – You do not know the meaning of the word Respect. The Christians, true Christians I see posting aren't cussing you, berating you, - looks like you are the one with the bad case of hate.
Re: gene pool queers join hands – TOO BAD SOMEONE DID SEE YOU IN THE DRIVEWAY WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE. YOU COULD BE THE POSTER BOY FOR BIRTH CONTROL.
Re: Car Laws are in order!!1 –
he wasn't 14 dumbass. you should be put in jail for being born.
Re: audrey arellano – Your mom should've had an abortion…..
Re: King of Mean – How sad your life must be to spew such evil and hate. The Lord loves you even though you apparently have no love for yourself. If you don't believe in God, then you should believe in Karma, because it will get you, just you wait and see. Think about your posting every time something awful happens to you, I know you now will.
I think the way they advocate for adoption is amazing. I feel so sad for their loss.
So very sad. God bless this family. xoxoxoxoxo
thanks perez for posting this. my friend knows this family well and im glad you are showing your support for their family! nashville loves you perez!
Re: Le Roi Est Mort – I hope you die you stupid piece of retarded shit. you will burn in hell and i will laugh you nasty piece of scum. i hope your father rapes your children!
white, fat ass, red neck, hillbillies r wat ruin this great nation we call the u.s. of a. its the black ppl that r left 2 give this nation a good name becuz its obvious tht white motherfuckers have failed 2 do tht.
p.s. no offense this is just a reply to a hillbillie motherfuckin son of a slut who goes by the name of "do not elect a gay black muslim"
aw that is so sad, i hope they get thru their hard times and my prayers go out 2 them
Perez - I love your page - God Bless the Chapman Family - For everyone who post thigs hateful - Think about how you would feel if this where your child, sibling? I do not understand how people do not believe on GOD? Please explain - As far as the gay comments go - If you hate gays (they are just like you and me) why are you on this blog? The world is coming to a end - And it's people like you rude people tha are cauding it - Again I pray for the Champman family and perez it's a very nice gesture for you to post this.
Oh, how horribly sad. The Chapmans have done a tremendous amount of good in the world. Three of their 6 children, including the one who was struck and killed, were adopted from China, and they have done a great deal to bring to light the plight of orphans around the world and inspire people to help. My heart breaks for their family. People of all faiths should remember the Chapmans in their prayers today.
Re: hlw – YOUR A JERK!!! HOW DARE YOU EVEN SAY SOMETHING SO STUPID!!
Omg thats terrible. The kid is going to be so screwed up. Its bad enough to have your little sister die but to have it be your fault! So sad.
Re: hlw – YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM SO DON'T SAY HE WAS ON DRUGS!! I CAN TELL BY HOW YOUR TALKING YOUR GOING TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN HELL..UNLESS YOU GET SAVED! JESUS HELP YOU! AND IF YOU WERE TO EVER GET SAVED I HOPE YOU'D GO UP TO THAT LITTLE GIRL AND HER BROTHER AND TELL THEM HOW SORRY YOU ARE FOR BEING SUCH AN IDOIT!
Re: David – WHERE IS GOD?? HOLDING THAT SWEET BABY RIGHT NOW…THATS WHERE HE IS!! UR A LOSER… I HOPE YOU GET SAVED ONE DAY BECAUSE IF NOT YOUR GONNA SPEND YOUR TIME IN HELL!! AND YES ITS A REAL PLACE IDIOT!
This is so sad.
My prayers are with them.
Everything happens for a reason as sad as it is i hope he doesn't lose his faith in god. Why this happened may not be clear now but one day it will all come together. She was here for a reason and her time was done and now she's an angel.
"Christianity - The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own
father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and
telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can
remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity
because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a
magical tree…yeah, makes perfect sense."
P.S. - Thank you, Perez for posting this. Not all of us Christians hate gays. Our Lord certainly doesn't. As with every group, there are a few nutcases who make everyone look bad. Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ. But your Christians…" Anyway, lots of out here love you and we appreciate you for posting this. I hope that lots of folks will remember the Chapman family. What a complete horror, and it will never end for them.
I also pray for Ted Kennedy and his family, and I disagree with just about everything he does. It makes no difference — a person is a person and a family tragedy deserves sympathy and compassion, not wiseass comments.
Re: audrey arellano – GO TO HELL
Re: GayHater – you're really the one who should read the Bible, where it says that God loves everyone and that we're all sinners. Being judgemental is on the same level as all other sins, and GOD STILL LOVES US ANYWAY! How dare you pass judgement on someone else. If you're going to start throwing around leviticus 18, you should also note that it says you're sinning if your clothes are made from two different fabrics. Perez, I'm a Christian and I adore you. It's awful that this "GayHater" is muddying the love of Christ with their own backwoods ignorance.
Re: audrey arellano –
your parents must be very proud.
Re: Lissa – please stop calling yourself a Christian if you're not going to act like it. Who are you to judge other people? "Christians" like you make it harder for the rest of us who are actually trying to show the love of Christ, not pass out "get out of Hell free" cards.
who the hell is this guy saying"do not elect a gay black muslim?"
how ignorant!!
ne who, i feel real bad 4 this father who lost a child at the hands of another child of his. so painful.
Thank you so much Perez for posting this. Christian artists don't get talked a lot about on these sites. All the people making rude comments you are the ones that need to listen to SCC's music!
Re: DO NOT ELECT A GAY BLACK MUSLIM –
DUMBASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Re: DO NOT ELECT A GAY BLACK MUSLIM –
You're screwing up this country with your stupid ignorant comments. You are dumb as shit and should move to Baghdad ASAP. Beat it bitch!!!
TO GENE POOL you are an unintelligent ass…regardless of what happened A CHILD DIED…have a heart…they are not smelly or annoying…you were one once, maybe someone treated you like that and if they would have appreciated you you would not be the angry, dark jackass you have become. If you ever have a child, even a pet you will hopefully understand that regardless of how the behavior or smell…they are yoursan you love them….its called unconditional love comemierda
you guys, the man just lost his baby. have some dignity and stop posting such rude comments. Christian or not it doesnt matter, a family losing their kid is a really tragic thing.
oooh my gosh that is so heart wrenching!! I could not imagine losing my child, especially at the hands of my other child. My heart goes out to all of them!!
Re: Lilah – I agree.
It must have been God's will that she died
To all the postings who used this to shared your hate on God, your judgment on Homosexuality, and disrespecting this family: Shame on you.
You know better and just want to look cool. Your words hurt and are hate.
This is terrible. If your child past accidentally you would be broken hearted reading these postings. I am so ashamed of many of you.
Perez thank you for posting this. God love's you (which i have a feeling you already know):).
Folks that's what God/Jesus is: a being of Love. Not of hate.
Re: audrey arellano – May you rot in hell you heartless bitch!
I find it horrible that anyone would use this to make fun of someone because they disagree with his religion.
This is a person who had a tragedy happen and to say "where is your God" and he deserved it because "all christians" are homophobes is heartless.
OMG.. my apologies to him
that's so sad….
I am blown away at how hateful and pathetic some of the people posting are. To use this as an opportunity to hate on Christians, races, or whatever else, or for the #10 shitbag who jusat said "haha", I just plain demented. Props to you PEREZ for posting this news on your site. Real Christians dont judge and bash people who arent like them, we love everyone unconditionally because the fact is, none of us are perfect. Its sad that the few ruin it for the many and give Christianity a bad name. But my heart goes out to the SCC family. He is an amazing artist as well as a real genuine person. Be blessed everyone and you too PEREZ.
Oh God, this makes my heart ache. I can't imagine how the boy feels, and the guilt he'll live with over this accident. i\It makes me question, why would this happen to a man who has devoted his talent to spreading the word of God? Such a shame, I will pray for them all. God bless the Chapman family.
Re: gene pool queers join hands –
Listen um pal, shit happens. You write as if you know the situation first hand. You are a thoughtless asshole who can't see the real tradgedy at hand. Teens make mistakes everyday and as do adults and kid I am sure you make just as many. And those "noisy shits" are your future. So when you are put into a nursing home to rot I hope you sleep in your own shit and and pray to the lord that he can forgive you for being so senile
p.s. GO PEREZ
Re: DO NOT ELECT A GAY BLACK MUSLIM – Yeah! Blacks r really fucking this country up. We all know Bush is black!! Ur a fucking idiot. Find a different place to vent hate!!
I hate it when this happens, I know of a family's case very close to me and the same thing happened, only it was her dad that accidentally ran over her.
=(
Where is his merciless god now? Nowhere to be found. Steven Curtis Chapman has perpetuated the vile intolerance of the religious right for many years now, and I'm sure he'll try to say that his kid is "in a better place now", or "with her heavenly father". This d-bag is diluded, just like all christians. Get real, idiots. There's no imaginary man living in the sky. And when somebody dies, they are GONE. It's a sad part of life. That's why we should enjoy it while we can. Keep on making your schmaltzy, awful music for dumb southern housewives and slackjawed morons, Mr. Curtis Chapman. It's a shame that this happened to a young child with her whole future ahead of her, but maybe this was "the lord jeeeezus" telling Steven Curtis Chapman and the entire braindead evangelical community that they are not expemt from his powerful, almighty, mutherfuckin' wrath. God sucks. Christians suck. Church sucks. Religion sucks. Oh, yeah I suck, too… a whole lotta dick! And I have fun while doing it!
Re: gene pool queers join hands –
you stupid asshole.
yeah it was CHILD ABUSE by the teenage brother. I mean, they've never had ANY SINGLE solitary report of abuse of any child, not from parents or siblings, but all of a sudden the older brother decides to back up over the daughter and kill her?
You are the stupidest moron I have never met. Seriously, grow a fucking brain.
Unless you're mentally retarded in which case I apologize for making fun of how disabled you are.
Wow. God bless them. I'm so sorry to hear this. I adore SCC and this is not something I would wish on everyone. Prayers.
Perez how could you let a comepinga like genepool who infuses hate to continue to put crap on here…I dont care what color he is what his sexuality is or if he even has a religion HE IS A NASTY UGLY PERSON WHO SPREADS HIS HATE….REALLY NICE THERE GUY KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK YOU ARE REALLY A PEICE OF WORK AND YOUR NAME IS GENEPOOL???? PLS PEREZ GET HIM OFF ANYONE ELSE WANT THAT ASS OFF?