PORT HURON, Michigan — An teen whose father recently died has received a surprise birthday gift from him posthumously.
Video footage shows 16-year-old Johnny Crow tearfully accepting a Dean Razorback guitar from the Port Huron Music Center as a birthday gift from his father, John Crow.
“I was definitely overjoyed that my father gave me one last thing to remember him by,” said the sophomore at Port Huron High School. “I know a lot of kids don’t get that.”
John Crow died at the age of 49 after a heart attack in April. His son was present during the attack and the doctors’ unsuccessful attempts to revive him.
“It’s a very different experience seeing your hero on his deathbed,” Johnny Crow said.
The music center’s owner, Pete Kruse, says John Crow ordered the guitar in January for his son. After the death, Kruse contacted Johnny’s 20-year-old sister, Chandler Crow, about the gift.
Chandler Crow captured footage of the birthday surprise, which has been viewed more than 6 million times on Facebook and was trending on Reddit on Thursday.
“It’s a real positive thing to be a part of,” Kruse said. “It was a really emotional day for all of us here. … an amazing experience, amazing the world has found it equally as amazing as we did.”
Johnny Crow said the supportive messages and shared stories of grief have helped him cope.
“It’s good to feel you’re not alone in this,” he said.
Johnny Crow and his father would bond through music, which has also been a coping skill for the guitar player.
“I discovered music, and it was amazing how it made me feel,” Johnny Crow said. “It made that sadness go away, it made me more like my father who I so inspired to be.”