The thoughts and prayers of country artists and fans have been with Luke Bryan since the death of his brother-in-law over Thanksgiving weekend, and Bryan has taken to Twitter to express his gratitude for the love and support.

The singer was scheduled to perform and accept an award at last night's (Dec. 2) 2014 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., but cancelled his appearance to be with his family and at his brother-in-law Ben Lee Cheshire's funeral, which he helped officiate. In his place, Lady Antebellum and Chris Stapleton sang ‘Drink a Beer,' a song Bryan has said means a lot him because of the death of his brother Chris and sister Kelly, Cheshire's wife.

But Bryan must have been watching because he tweeted his appreciation, thanking both the artists and his fans, writing, "That was amazing."

Bryan's loss was clearly on the minds of many of the artists at the event. Keith Urban and Jason Aldean both took a moment on stage to mention his absence and send their well wishes.

“I just want to say, [we’re] thinking about you and your family. Our thoughts are prayers are with you all," Aldean said while accepting his award. We love you guys, and hurry back to the country music world.”

Country Stars Who Have Died in 2014

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