Craig Morgan’s son Jerry Greer pictured on his Facebook page.
The son of country music legend Craig Morgan was killed in Tennessee following “a freak accident.” Jerry Greer, 19, was first reported missing on July 10 after boating on Kentucky Lake. TMZ reports that he had been tubing with friends. A source told the gossip site that it’s being treated as a “freak accident” and that alcohol was not involved. Greer was wearing a flotation device when he vanished.
After an extensive search, Morgan’s record label released a statement confirming that Jerry Greer’s body had been found on the night of July 11.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Reports Say Greer’s Tube Collided With a Friend & He Never Resurfaced After the Impact
19-year-old Jerry Greer has been missing since 4pm yesterday. Multiple agencies involved in recovery
TMZ reports that local and state police were involved in the search for Greer with boats and helicopters being utilized. Greer is thought to have collided with a friend and never resurfaced. WKRN reports that the other tuber was not seriously harmed.
WSMV reports that the search area is “between 5 and 10 acres.” The water reaches a depth of 15 feet in some areas. The search was in full swing as of 6 a.m. on the morning of July 11. Boating accident investigator Matt Majors with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency told WSMV, “It is a big area that we’re looking at so we’re going to try and review the statements that we have from our eyewitnesses and narrow that down today.”
Crews are using sonar and checking the banks of the Kentucky Lake in the search for 19yo Jerry Greer @NC5
The incident happened on Kentucky Lake, close to Mason’s Boat Dock and Marina in Waverly, Tennessee, reports WSMV.
On the evening of July 11, Black River Entertainment released this statement, “It is with deep sadness that I am confirming the passing of Jerry Greer (19), son of country music entertainer Craig Morgan and wife Karen Greer. The Humphreys County Sheriff’s Department recovered his body this evening after a search that began Sunday following a boating accident on Kentucky Lake in Tennessee.”
2. Craig Morgan’s Son Is Featured Prominently in the Advertising Campaigns for His Dad’s Reality Show
In a brief statement from a representative, Morgan and his family said:
Recent Dickson County High School graduate Jerry Greer (19), son of country music entertainer Craig Morgan and wife Karen Greer, went missing yesterday following a boating accident on Kentucky Lake in Humphreys County, Tennessee.
Recovery efforts to locate him are underway. The family is grateful for everyone’s support and prayers and request privacy during this difficult time.
Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Rob Edwards did not formally identify Greer as the man that authorities are searching for.
Singer Craig Morgan’s full name is Craig Morgan Greer. He and his family live in Dickson, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, according to Morgan’s CMT bio.
The Tennessean, in their report on Greer’s accident, emphasizes the closeness between Morgan and his teenage son. One the website for the country star’s Outdoor Channel TV show, Craig Morgan All Access Outdoors, it shows the pair posing over a goat they killed in Hawaii.
3. Greer Recently Graduated From Dickson County High School Where He Was a Football Star
(Facebook)
Greer was a recent graduate of Dickson County High School where he was a football star, playing primarily as a wide receiver. On his profile page at Max Preps, Greer is listed as one of the best 150 high school players in his state. He stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 185 pounds. He wore the number 13 on his jersey. The Tennessean reports that Greer also played soccer in high school.
4. Morgan Has 4 Kids With His Wife Karen
Craig Morgan’s family. (Facebook)
Country star Morgan has four kids with his long-time wife, Karen. They have three sons, Jerry, Kyle and Wyatt, as well as a daughter, Alexandra. On July 4, just a week before his son vanished Morgan told Rare Country about his sadness at not getting to spend Independence Day with his family. “My family has had their family reunion on the Fourth of July since before I was born, and my dad had six brothers and every one of them had four kids. So, our family reunion is a huge ordeal. I’ve missed them for the last 10 years ’cause we are always working on the Fourth of July.”
5. In 2011, Morgan’s Daughter Was the Victim of an Armed Home Invasion
Morgan’s daughter Alex was the subject of an armed home invasion in 2011. (Facebook)
In 2011, the Boot reported that Morgan’s daughter, Alex, had been subjected to an armed home invasion in Arkansas. Morgan had been away filming his reality show at the time of the incident. He told the Boot, “That was real life stuff. That was happening as we were filming. I freaked out! I was in the blind and didn’t know it was happening at first, and my wife was texting me: ‘Call me!'”
Morgan added:
Everything turned out just fine, thank goodness. My daughter was smart enough to go in her bedroom and lock herself up, and she had a pistol, so she was waiting if he came through. Thank goodness he didn’t, because she would have had to have shot him.
And her biggest thing was she would’ve felt bad, because she knows that she would’ve had to talk to someone and they would’ve asked her if she felt bad about it, and she would have had to say NO! [laughs] And they would’ve thought she was crazy.
I also have a 14-year-old in the house right now who has a great respect for weapons and understands the impact they have.
And I’m very fortunate I live in the country where my daughter has a right to have a pistol to protect herself. That’s the way we looked at it.
Morgan concluded, “I’m very fortunate I live in the country where my daughter has a right to have a pistol to protect herself. That’s the way we looked at it.”