Amber Smith Details Granger Smith’s Suicide Attempt After Son’s Death

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Content warning: This story discusses suicide.

Granger Smith‘s wife Amber Smith is remembering a difficult time in their lives.

Six years after the tragic drowning of her three-year-old son, River, Amber shared her experience of the aftermath and spoke about the former country singer’s suicide attempt.

She shared that he went out with friends in Boise, Idaho, after a performance. They went to a local bar where they reminisced and laughed, and he ended up drinking more than he had since his brother, River, passed away. He then walked back to the tour bus by himself, intoxicated.

Okay, so it was just… awful. He hadn’t touched anything in ages, seriously. But I could *tell* things were getting really bad, really fast. He just… grabbed for his vape pen, hoping it would somehow snap him out of it, you know? He took a hit, thinking it might help, but honestly, it didn’t even make a dent. It was terrifying. We have London, who’s fourteen, Lincoln, eleven, and little Maverick, who’s four, and seeing him like that… it was just so scary. I was so worried.

The image of River lying motionless in the pool kept flashing through his mind, and he felt overwhelming guilt, believing he had failed as a father and let River down. Completely overwhelmed with despair, he reached for the gun he kept by his bed for protection, intending to end his suffering.

Even now, Amber is still deeply saddened that Granger believed he had no other choice.

It’s still so hard to even *think* about. That night, my amazing husband – the best dad to our children, truly – he… he used a Glock 9mm. He just… put it in his mouth. Honestly, my fingers are shaking just writing this, tears are streaming down my face. It feels like yesterday.

Oh my gosh, just hearing her talk about it… I just *felt* it, you know? I desperately wanted to reach out and just tell him how amazing he was as a dad, that we all loved him, and that everything would be okay! I wanted to shake him and scream, ‘No, you’re doing great, we can get through this, please don’t give up!’ It was so heartbreaking.

Thankfully, Granger realized the voice urging him to shoot wasn’t coming from within himself, according to Amber. She explained that her husband, who is now a minister, was experiencing a powerful spiritual battle at the time.

She explained that as she cried out to God, the disturbing visions instantly ceased. The man’s gun fell from his grip, and he collapsed onto the bathroom floor of the bus, falling asleep while still fully dressed and surrounded by his own tears.

In his 2023 memoir, *Like a River*, Granger described his suicide attempt and the moment he changed his mind and decided against it.

He wrote that, without even realizing it, he pulled the gun from his mouth, and he desperately shouted, “My God, my Jesus! Save me! Please, Jesus, save me!”

Amber revealed that her husband, whom she describes as a loving father and wonderful partner, tragically died by suicide with a handgun. She says it’s still incredibly painful to write about.

She wished she could have told him what a good father he was, that she loved him, and that they could get through this together – that he didn’t need to act the way he was.

Thankfully, Granger realized the voice urging him to shoot wasn’t his own, Amber explained. She said her husband, who is now a minister, was experiencing a powerful spiritual battle at the time.

She explained that as she cried out to God, the disturbing visions instantly ceased. The man’s gun fell from his grip, and he collapsed onto the bathroom floor of the bus, falling asleep while still fully dressed and surrounded by his own tears.

In his 2023 memoir, *Like a River*, Granger described his suicide attempt and the pivotal moment he chose to stop himself from going through with it.

The singer’s screams bounced around inside his tour bus, and the dizzying sensation he’d been experiencing suddenly stopped.

He said the Glock slipped from his hand, which was wet with tears, and landed on the bed. He then fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Since River passed away, Amber and Granger have been open about how much they’re grieving. In an Instagram post from 2019, Amber shared, “It’s been incredibly difficult to return to normal life and touring without River. Everything constantly reminds me of him, and I keep imagining how much he would have enjoyed experiencing all of this with us.”

She said then that unimportant details weren’t a priority anymore. What truly mattered was her family and her faith, and she felt confident they could handle anything with God’s help.

When their youngest son, Maverick, arrived, the couple honored River by including his name in Maverick’s.

In a 2021 YouTube video, Amber explained that she wanted to include a part of her older son River’s name in her new baby’s name, specifically ‘Riv,’ as a nod to his first name. She hoped this would give the baby his own unique identity while still feeling connected to his brother.

Granger explained that the character will always have a strong connection to his older brother, Riv, and that his name should reflect that relationship.

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2025-09-27 01:48