Carly Pearce paid homage to the late Riley Strain on Friday evening (Mar. 22) during her set on Tim McGraw’s Standing Room Only Tour in St. Louis, Missouri.
Pearce Pays Tribute To Late Riley Strain During Concert
The GRAMMY Award-winning country hitmaker took a moment to remember Strain with a heartfelt message before dedicating her performance of “Every Little Thing” to the 22-year-old University of Missouri student, who went missing in Nashville and whose body was later found in the Cumberland River.
“I do not feel like I can live in Nashville and be in the state of Missouri tonight and not say that we love you, Riley Strain,” the 33-year-old singer/songwriter said. “I just want to say that I’m thinking of his family, and I’m thinking of his friends and anybody that knows him in this room that knows him, and I want to dedicate this to them.”
She then went on to deliver an emotional performance of her chart-topping hit, “Every Little Thing,” the lead single and title track to her debut album. The tribute performance came just hours after authorities found Riley Strain’s body in the Cumberland River.
“Every little thing/ I remember every little thing/ The high, the hurt, the shine, the sting/ Of every little thing,” Pearce sang on the tune’s chorus. The chilling moment got even more emotional when the sold-out crowd turned into a sea of cell phone lights, reminiscent of a candlelight vigil.
At the conclusion of the song, Pearce looked up towards the sky and said, “we love you, Riley,” as the lights went dark.
Pearce Followed The Disappearance Of Riley Strain Closely
Pearce followed the disappearance of Riley Strain closely and shared several social media posts sending prayers to him and his family.
“I can’t stop following the Riley Strain case. Praying for his hurting mother & family. Praying for Riley and hoping they find him. Life is so precious,” Pearce wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on March 20.
After his body was found in the Cumberland River, Pearce took to social media once again, writing “Rest easy, Riley.”
The Tragic Story of Riley Strain
Riley Strain went missing in Nashville on Friday, March 8 following an evening of drinking with his frat brothers downtown at various bars on Lower Broadway, including Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge. After being kicked off of Luke’s 32 Bridge, the college student was captured on surveillance video, stumbling towards the Cumberland River on his own as his friends remained inside the bar, according to reports. He was last seen around 9:52 pm on March 8 walking along Gay St. in Nashville. Strain’s friends made the call to police to report him missing 16 hours after his disappearance.
The Metropolitan Police Department then embarked on an extensive search of the Downtown Nashville area to locate him. The Nashville Police enlisted helicopters and boats to scour the vicinity where he was last spotted, and also surveyed the riverbank to no avail.
On Friday (Mar. 22), two weeks after his disappearance, Strain’s body was found in the Cumberland River. According to WKRN, the Metro Nashville Police received a report that a body was discovered in the river in the Nations neighborhood in West Nashville, eight miles away from Downtown Music City. The body was confirmed to be Riley Strain and at the time the Nashville PD revealed that “no foul play-related trauma was observed” and that an autopsy is now pending.
In addition to Pearce’s heartfelt tribute, friends, family and the Nashville community came together to mourn the loss of Strain with a candlelight vigil on Gay Street, which is where Strain was reportedly last seen.
