The former Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has long been known as one of the only openly devout Christians in Hollywood. In a new interview, he’s opening up about how he was able to find God again after the brutal 1975 murder of his younger sister Karen.
Grammer’s Faith Rocked By Sister’s Murder
Grammer, 70, honors Karen’s life in his new memoir Karen: A Brother Remembers. Karen was only 18 years-old when she was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in 1975. At the time, Grammer was only 20 years-old. The tragedy understandably rocked Grammer to his core, and tested his faith in God like never before.
“When the deaths occurred, starting with my grandfather, and then my dad — and I didn’t really know my dad — and then when Karen was killed, hanging on to what I’d always seen as a kind of gift of faith, became … hollow faith,” Grammer told Fox News.
“It wasn’t working. I thought, ‘Why did I lose this? What happened?’ I felt betrayed by it,” he admitted. “And, so, I sort of cursed God at one point and said, ‘You know, hey, I’d rather you didn’t bother to help at this point because, honestly, this was colossal. I’m not interested.'”
Karen Grammer’s Murder
At the time of Karen’s murder, Grammer was studying theater at Juilliard in New York City. Karen had just graduated from high school, and had only recently moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
On the night of July 1, 1975, Karen was parked outside of a Red Lobster, where she was working at the time. She was suddenly accosted by several men who intended to rob the restaurant. Instead, they decided to kidnap Karen and take her to a second location. There, they raped her before stabbing her to death.
Freddie Glenn was convicted of murdering Karen and two others in 1976. He’s been up for parole multiple times since then, but Grammer has fought to keep him locked up. Glenn thankfully remains behind bars to this day.
“She was my best friend and the best person I knew,” Grammer wrote in a letter that was read at a 2009 parole hearing for Glenn. “She had so much to live for. I loved my sister, Karen. I miss her, I miss her in my bones.”
Grammer went on to say that he “was her big brother. I was supposed to protect her — I could not, I have never gotten over it. … It very nearly destroyed me.”
Related: The Tragic Life Of Kelsey Grammer
Grammer Urges Others To Lean On God During Tough Times
This was sadly not the only family member that Grammer lost to violence. He was just 13 years-old when his and Karen’s father was fatally shot in a home invasion. Then, in 1980, Grammer’s two-half brothers, twins Stephen and Billy, died together in a scuba accident in the Virgin Islands.
After all of these tragedies, it’s understandable that Grammer’s faith in God would be shaken. While he can admit that he turned away from God in his darkest moments dealing with these deaths, he would now urge others not to do this. While he knows it’s difficult, Grammer wants to encourage others dealing with tragedies to lean on God.
“I would advise people to step away from that. If I could, I would say, rather than turn away from God, turn toward Him in these situations,” he said. “Because it isn’t like God’s out to get you. But it feels like that sometimes. And that was very hard.”
Related: Kelsey Grammer Refuses To Apologize For Being A Christian – ‘I’ve Found Great Peace In Jesus’
Grammer Finds God Again
In the end, it was the love and support of his family that slowly brought Grammer back to God. He and his wife Kayte Walsh share three children. They notably named their oldest daughter Faith, showing just how much Grammer has been brought to God.
“By virtue of writing this book, [my faith] has gained a little ground,” Grammer gushed. “By virtue of meeting Kayte, by virtue of living through what we’ve lived through as well, has fortified my faith.”
Grammer finding God after so much unspeakable tragedy is nothing short of inspiring. We applaud Grammer for continuing to use his platform to spread the word of God!
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