On June 6, 2019, country singer Granger Smith and his wife, Amber, lost their three-year-old son, River. He died following a drowning accident at their home two days prior.
“The joy he brought to our lives cannot be expressed and his light will be forever in our hearts,” Granger wrote on social media when he shared the terrible news. “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.”
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River was Granger and Amber’s youngest child. They also share a daughter, London, and another son, Lincoln. The couple has since welcomed a new addition to the family, a son named Maverick.
Maverick was born on August 20, 2021. Granger and Amber underwent IVF to conceive, and detailed their journey on social media.
They named Maverick in honor of his big brother River. The name Maverick contains the letters “Riv,” which was River’s nickname. Maverick’s middle name, Beckham, means “home by the river.”
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This June 6 was the three-year anniversary of River’s death. Both Granger and Amber took to social media to pay tribute to their baby boy.
A few weeks before the anniversary of River’s death, Granger posted a photo of him and River together in a field. Granger lovingly kissed River on the cheek while holding him in his arms.
“My first few moments in Heaven…” Granger captioned the photo.
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On the anniversary of River’s death, Granger shared a Bible verse on Twitter, specifically Phil 1:12. He ended with his own remark, saying, “Our chains serve a purpose.”
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” Phil1:12
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Our chains serve a purpose.— Granger Smith (@GrangerSmith) June 6, 2022
Amber remembered River in her own emotional post. She noted how from this point forward, they “will be without him longer than [they] were with him.”
“I’ve been thinking so much about time lately,” Amber said. “How has he been gone 3 years? It honestly feels like yesterday that we left the hospital and drove home with an empty car seat and I didn’t know how I was ever going to smile again. But then on the other hand it feels like a lifetime ago, like a strange dream that we ever even had him.”
Amber said they’ve “lived so much life” since losing River three years ago. It reminds her that “life is such a vapor,” a fleeting moment in time that can end in an instant.
“Be present, we are not promised tomorrow,” she said. “The Lord directs our steps and our days, every one of them are written.”
Amber ended her post by sharing 2 Peter 3:8 and encouraging others to “live like Riv.”
You can read Amber’s full tribute to River below. Our hearts go out to her, Granger, and their family.