On Feb. 21, 2018, Billy Graham, the most influential preacher in the 20th century passed away at the age of 99.
Many people he had influenced over the years took to social media to mourn his death and some even told stories about how he helped them. Reba McEntire thanked him for his “guidance and love,” and Tanya Tucker shared a story of when she asked him to pray for her ailing father. To thank him, she recorded a rendition of “Old Rugged Cross” and sent it to him.
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Another singer who was affected by his death was Amy Grant. As a contemporary Christian singer, she performed at many of Graham’s crusades since the beginning of her career all the way until the 1990s.
In an Instagram post, Grant told a story that the public probably didn’t know about her.
“The last crusade I did with Billy was in San Antonio in 1997. As always, I was honored to be invited but I also knew that my marriage [to first husband Gary Chapman] was falling apart and that it might not survive. I didn’t want to take the stage without Billy knowing what was going on with me personally so I asked if I could speak with him before my performance,” she wrote.
He patiently listened to her without ever “losing the kindness in his eyes,” and responded to her saying, “Amy, I have children and grandchildren who love the Lord… but some of them take the long way home.”
Graham then asked to pray for her and her family, but she never spoke to him again about this issue. The next time she saw him was in 2005 when she was married to country singer Vince Gill. They brought their blended family of five and he was still just as kind to them.
Grant ended the post by saying, “I look forward to seeing Billy again on the other side.” See her full Instagram post below.
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