Granger Smith and his wife, Amber Smith, are reflecting on how their family dealt with unimaginable loss after their 3-year-old son River drowned.
Appearing on the Thursday, July 9, episode of the “Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew” podcast, Amber shared that each family member “grieved differently” after River’s death in 2019. (Granger, 46, and Amber, 44, also share London, 14, and Lincoln, 12. They welcomed their fourth child, Maverick, in August 2021.)
“We lost our son River to a drowning in our backyard and as you can imagine, as a mom and a dad, it flipped our world upside down and we didn’t know if our family would survive, if our marriage would survive, if we would ever find joy again,” Amber said.
She continued, “And so, we just navigated that grief and pain together, very differently. We both grieved very differently, our children grieved very differently.”
Amber added that she was early in her faith journey at the time of River’s death and had only recently started going to Bible studies and to church. She explained her religion helped her navigate the grief.
“I had little bits and pieces of scripture in my heart so when I was on that bathroom floor crying and grieving so hard, I knew that I didn’t want to stay there,” she shared. “I had a husband and I had two other children who needed me so I ran to the Lord and I searched for light and I searched for hope.”
In June 2019, Granger took to Instagram to announce the heartbreaking news that their son had died.
“I have to deliver unthinkable news,” the country singer wrote via Instagram at the time. “We’ve lost our youngest son, River Kelly Smith. Following a tragic accident, and despite doctor’s best efforts, he was unable to be revived. Amber and I made the decision to say our last goodbyes and donate his organs so that other children will be given a second chance at life. Our family is devastated and heartbroken, but we take solace in knowing he is with his Heavenly Father.”
The “Backroad Song” singer added: “Riv was special. Everyone that met him knew that immediately. The joy he brought to our lives cannot be expressed and his light will be forever in our hearts. If there are words to say more, I cannot find them in this moment. Love the ones close to you. There has never been a more difficult moment for us than this.”
