As soon as Luke Bryan was named the American Country Countdown Awards' male vocalist of the year on Monday night (Dec. 15) night -- and after he'd performed his hit song "Roller Coaster" -- he had a special message to his country music fans and friends.

"I wanna get serious just for a second. I wanna thank all of my fans -- for the past couple of weeks of my life -- for keeping my family in your prayers. And I wanna also recognize the county music community," he said, sounding almost like he was on the verge of tears.

Bryan’s brother-in-law Ben Lee Cheshire, 46, died on Nov. 29. Cheshire was the husband of Bryan’s late sister, Kelly, who passed away suddenly in 2007 at age 39.

"Hey, fans, let me explain something to you,” Bryan said. "You guys support wonderful artists because they have rallied around me and helped me and my family through the past couple of weeks. It's nice to feel loved in a situation. Just thank you, guys, for an amazing 2014. We love you, Nashville. We love you, fans."