Photo: Rich Polk/Getty
It’s been nearly 50 years sinceKelsey Grammer’syounger sister, Karen Grammer, was brutally murdered when she was just 18 — but for Grammer, 67, the pain over losing her in such a horrific manner is as fresh as ever.
“I’ve been writing a book actually about some of the past, and one sentence comes to mind,” Grammer says of the incident in this week’s issue of PEOPLE. “It was ancient grief that is forever fresh.' It’s always with you.”
One of the convicted killers, Michael Corbett, died in prison in 2019. The other, Freddie Glenn, was sentenced to death but changes to Colorado’s death penalty meant he would be eligible for parole after serving ten years.
Grammer’s daughter Spencer, with whom he stars in the upcoming Lifetime holiday movieThe 12 Days of Christmas Eve(out on Nov. 26), says knowing his sister’s killer could one day be free has been horrific for her dad.
“Glenn is always up for parole every couple of years, so every few years [my father] has to speak against him,” Spencer, 39, explains.
“It’s so difficult for him to have to relive it over and over again. And there really isn’t a lot of information for the family of victims in regards to when people are going to be released,” she continues, noting how that adds even more pain for victims' families. Spencer says her father will never get over what happened to Karen.
“When you lose somebody that you’re close to, especially to something that’s completely out of your control, we can’t make sense of it,” theRick and Mortystar adds. “There’s no reason that somebody goes and stabs somebody or murders somebody. There’s no rationale. It just happens, and it’s not okay.”
Grammer has said that his struggles with alcohol and drugs in his younger days were certainly a coping mechanism. “There were some times I pretty much surrendered to despair,” he says.
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Despite the tragedies, Grammer says he’s found joy in family, and that his faith in God has never wavered. Now happily married to Kayte Walsh and enjoyinglife as a dadto three young kids, he says he’s grateful for the life he’s been given and for the love he has in his life. With aFrasierrebooton the horizon, he also notes that he has no intention of ever stopping work.
“I take a moment out every morning for a moment of gratitude,” he says. “There’s a great Doobie Brothers line that Michael McDonald wrote that goes, ‘You’ll always have a chance to give up. So why do it now?'”
Read more about Kelsey and Spencer Grammer’s Lifetime holiday movie and how it healed their relationship in the new issue of PEOPLE, on stands now
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
