Actor Tells Us to ‘Turn Toward’ God Amid Tragedy

Published: May 12, 2025

By India McCarty

FRASIER star Kelsey Grammer is advising people to “turn toward” God in difficult situations, rather than away.

“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,” the actor told Fox News.

Grammer’s father and sister, Karen, were both murdered, and he shared that he felt “betrayed” by these losses.

“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,’” he continued.

However, the actor explained that he should have turned towards God in those moments and told others to do the same.

“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,” Grammer said. “Because it isn’t like God’s out to get you. But it feels like that sometimes. And that was very hard.”

The CHEERS actor also said the writing process for his new book, Karen: A Brother Remembers, helped restore his faith.

“By virtue of writing this book, [my faith] has gained a little ground. By virtue of meeting Kayte [Walsh, his wife], by virtue of living through what we’ve lived through as well, has fortified my faith,” he concluded.

We welcomed Kelsey Grammer, acclaimed author and Emmy-winning actor, producer, and director globally known for his iconic portrayal of Dr. Frasier Crane, to the HarperCollins New York office ahead of the publication of his new memoir, Karen: A Brother Remembers—available tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/sOyEBgXcuK

— HarperCollins (@HarperCollins) May 5, 2025
Related: Actor Hopes Sharing His Murdered Sister’s Story Comforts Others

Kelsey Grammer spoke to Publishers Weekly about the book, which details the story of his sister’s life and death. When asked what he wants readers to know about Karen, the actor replied, “That she was lightning in a bottle.”

“She was a wonderful, loving, fantastic person — a very brave person,” he continued. “She faced life, and drank it with all the gusto that a person can. She suffered the same tragedies I did as a young person [referring to the murder of their father], and maybe she even suffered more. But she never gave up on life. She really fought for life—even down to her last moments, she was still fighting to live.”

In Karen: A Brother Remembers, Grammer wrote about what Karen’s death has meant to him in his own life.

“I had a foundational belief: I am obligated to fulfill the life I was given,” he wrote. “Anything less would have been an affront to my family and to God. They gave me life. I owed it to them and to myself not to quit. Owed it to Karen. And to God.”

Despite the immense tragedies Grammer has experienced, the actor continues to put his faith in God — and hopes others do the same.

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