In times of sorrow, you truly find out how big your family really is, and Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx has discovered how much love and support for him there is after the death of his mother this past week.

Deana Richards passed away Saturday (June 8) at the age of 74. Sixx's mother and grandparents raised him after his father left the family at an early age. The well-wishes and positive thoughts were definitely welcome for the bassist, who took the time to thank his fans for their overwhelming support.

In a new Facebook posting, Sixx writes:

"Thank you for all the supportive posts here and on Twitter about the passing of my Mom. Her and my grandfather Tom's recent passing is a gentle reminder of how fragile time is and a not so gentle sledgehammer to the heart that none of us get out of this life alive. If you're wasting time procrastinating on anything trust me when I say 'You'll be sorry.' I waited too long after a rocky road with my mother to try and rebuild the broken fences. You can never get time back. We all make mistakes and that was mine ... Again, thank you because it reminds me reading your posts how much we're all alike."

Sixx recently posted that he was writing a song just prior to his mother's passing about regret. In his posting, he added, "Pain always serves up the most brutal truth. I cannot see a ray of sunshine and not find the beauty in the inevitable rain cloud coming behind it. I have made mistakes. Do lyrics and melody really make up for lost time? The saying, 'This too shall pass' works both ways."

The bassist is catching a break from the road this summer, but will remain busy working on both Sixx: A.M. and Motley Crue projects.

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