Spotted during a set at the LakeShare Music Festival on Sunday, the 23rd of June, Granger Smith has his son’s name tattooed onto his forearm, forever immortalizing his life and his memory.
Granger Smith Honors His Son
At his set at the festival, Smith gave a very emotional tribute to his late son River by singing his recently released song “Heaven Bound Balloons” in River’s honor.
via Laura Mathis’ Twitter Account
The lyrics are already emotional as it is, but this song as a tribute to the child broke a few more hearts that night. Fans were also quick to notice the new tattoo. It was a simple script that reads “River” along the bottom of his right arm. It made the performance all the more powerful.
The best & worst moment at @LakeShakeFest @GrangerSmith singing Heaven Bound Balloons. We could see & feel the pain in all their eyes, but when G pulled out McQueen? Gut wrenching! We love you Granger! Thank you for being you. You’re stronger than you know. #LiveLikeRiv pic.twitter.com/UORnaSgEnR
— Laura Mathis (@MrsLauraM) June 24, 2019
A Tragic Loss
The country singer and his wife came out with the tragic news on the 6th of June about the passing of their youngest son River. They have confirmed that the cause of death is a “tragic drowning accident” that happened at home.
via Granger Smith’s Official Facebook Page
Smith and his wife, Amber, would later come out and share a few more details of the event in a YouTube video, admitting that everything happened in a blink of an eye and it changed their lives forever.
They are also parents to their 8-year-old daughter London, and 5-year-old son, Lincoln.
Since the accident, the country star implored his fans to donate to the Dell Children’s Medical Center in River’s name, saying that the doctors and the staff who attended the child have all been incredible. Smith’s team have also created a shirt in memory of River.
via Yee Yee Apparel’s Official Instagram Account
The description of the shirt describes that it has a “Yee Yee Excavator,” since River’s favorite thing to do was to watch excavators scoop up dirt. Also, it was red to honor the toddler’s favorite color. It also continues saying that 100% of the proceeds from the shirt will go directly to the medical center.