Country singer Luke Bell's family says his death followed progressing mental illness

dailymail.co.uk:

The family of the late country singer Luke Bell issued a statement on Thursday that shared their grief and explained into his worsening mental condition in his final days.The singer, 32, was found dead on Friday after going missing earlier this months in Arizona.Bell had been battling severe bipolar disorder for years at the time of his death, his agent previously revealed, and his family told TMZ that his mental illness had 'progressed' ever since his father died in 2015.

Speaking out: Luke Bell's family explained that his mental illness had progressed in a statement provided to TMZ on Thursday.

He was found dead on August 29 after being missing for nine days; seen in 2017 in Iowa'We have lost our beloved son, brother and friend and we are heartbroken,' his family wrote in their statement.'Luke had a gentle heart, a wanderer’s spirit and a musical gift that he was fortunate to share with us and the world,' they continued. 'We are so grateful to his friends and fans for embracing Luke and his music.

We would like to thank all of Luke’s fans, friends and family who have been sharing stories and photos of happy times with him.' They continued, revealing that Bell's struggles with mental illness had gotten worse in the past seven years.'Unfortunately Luke suffered from the disease of mental illness, which progressed after his father's death in 2015,' they explained. 'Luke was supported through his disease by a community of loving family and friends.