Granger Smith’s Wife Amber Opens Up About Husband’s Near-Suicide After Son’s Tragic Death
Granger Smith’s wife, Amber Smith, is opening up about a devastating chapter in their lives. The former country star, 46, and the 42-year-old actress suffered a heartbreaking loss in 2019 when their 3-year-old son, River, drowned in the pool outside their Texas home.
Granger previously revealed in his 2023 memoir, *Like a River*, that he reached one of his lowest points after the loss of their son and almost took his own life. Now, in her forthcoming memoir *The Girl on the Bathroom Floor*, Amber recounts the harrowing night of Granger’s near-suicide attempt from her perspective.
She details how her husband “put a cold Glock 9mm into his mouth” and shared that he told her years later just how close he had been to pulling the trigger.
Amber writes: “He was out with the guys in Boise, Idaho, one night after a show. They walked over to the local bar, laughed, and told old stories, all while drinking more than he had since River died.”
When the evening ended, Granger found himself drunkenly walking back to his tour bus alone. Amber explains how he struggled to get onto the bus because he couldn’t recall the door code—a set of numbers he had pressed hundreds of times.
Once inside, Granger realized the severity of his situation. He hadn’t been drunk in a long time and feared that overwhelming emotions and pain would flood back. Desperate to calm himself, he grabbed a weed pen and took a hit, hoping it would counteract the effects of alcohol. But nothing changed.
Amber describes how her husband became engulfed by a “slideshow” of tormenting mental images of their son’s final moments.
“Visions of River facedown in the pool assaulted his thoughts and lies pierced his conscience — that he was a failure as a father, that he had let River down,” she wrote.
“In a moment of utter despair, he fumbled for the gun he kept in the drawer by his bed for safety on the road, aiming to end the pain. That night, my sweet, incredible husband, the wonderful father of my kids, put a cold Glock 9mm into his mouth.”
Amber shares that she is still wrestling with grief over her husband’s struggle with suicide during that dark moment.
“I cry even typing this,” she admitted. “It breaks my heart that he felt like this was the only way out. I wish I had known. I wish I could have grabbed him, shaken him, and said, ‘You’re a good father! I love you! We’ve got this! This isn’t the way!’”
But, she continued, she didn’t have to intervene because “by the sheer grace of God, Granger became aware that the voice quietly telling him to pull the trigger wasn’t his own. He realized suddenly that he was under attack. He was engulfed in spiritual warfare.”
Granger, who is now a minister, turned to his faith during that moment of crisis.
Amber writes in the book: “He did the only thing he knew to do, crying out, ‘Jesus, save me! Save me, please, Jesus, save me!’ In that moment of crying out to God, the visions suddenly stopped, the gun slipped out of his hand and he collapsed to the floor, falling asleep in a puddle of his own tears, fully clothed on the bathroom floor of his bus.”
She recalls that Granger texted her the following morning saying he had “an awful night,” drank too much, and “came face to face with Satan.” He never shared with her that he had come so close to pulling the trigger—not until three and a half years later.
In April 2024, Granger Smith announced on Instagram that he would be retiring from country music. His summer *Like A River* tour, named for his late son, would be his last.
In an interview with *Entertainment Tonight* in August 2024, Granger recalled thinking of his two older children—daughter London, now 14, and son Lincoln, now 11—during the moment he was contemplating suicide.
Granger’s story is a powerful reminder of the devastating impact of loss and the strength found through faith and family during life’s darkest times.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/granger-smiths-wife-shares-details-his-near-suicide-attempt-following-sons-drowning
