Celebrity

His mourning wife reveals on Instagram, 'The night of the accident he had fought his way out of the water and up a hill before the stages of hypothermia set in.'

• Jan 5, 2016

AceShowbiz - Backroad Anthem lead singer, Craig Strickland, was found dead in Bear Creek Cove, Oklahoma on Monday, January 4 after he was reported missing on December 27. His mourning wife Helen Wisner Strickland took to Instagram to tell her followers about the cause of his death and thank them for their prayers.

"Craig was found today," Helen wrote alongside a picture of her and her late husband getting cozy. "We can finally rest knowing that he is at Home in Heaven with his Father. The night of the accident he had fought his way out of the water and up a hill before the stages of hypothermia set in."

Craig was found today. We can finally rest knowing that he is at Home in Heaven with his Father. The night of the accident he had fought his way out of the water and up a hill before the stages of hypothermia set in. He experienced no pain in his final moments and simply felt like he was falling asleep. They found him lying in the shape of a cross looking up to his Father. Thank you to every single person who prayed for him and our family during this time. There was not a more peaceful way for him to go into the arms of our Lord, and I know your prayers had a role in making that happen. I know he saw Jesus at that moment when he laid down and walked arm in arm with Him into a better Everlasting Life. I love you with all my heart Craig Michael. #craigstrickland

Foto kiriman Helen Wisner Strickland (@helenelizabethstrickland) pada Jan 4, 2016 pada 11:30 PST

"He experienced no pain in his final moments and simply felt like he was falling asleep. They found him lying in the shape of a cross looking up to his Father," she continued, before thanking people who prayed for him and their family, "Thank you to every single person who prayed for him and our family during this time."

"There was not a more peaceful way for him to go into the arms of our Lord, and I know your prayers had a role in making that happen," she added. "I know he saw Jesus at that moment when he laid down and walked arm in arm with Him into a better Everlasting Life. I love you with all my heart Craig Michael. #craigstrickland."

Craig's Backroad Anthem bandmates also mourned his death. They changed the display picture of the band's Facebook page with his photo alongside the words "Prayers for Craig Strickland." They also shared on Facebook a touching tribute to the late singer. "Today we lost our brother, our best friend, our bandmate. Craig was the most amazing person whose passion for life couldn't be matched," read the post. "Thankful to know he fought his way from the water to a hill and was lying in the shape of a cross on his back looking up to his Heavenly Father."

Craig and his friend Chase Morland went duck hunting on Kaw Lake, Oklahoma. The two were hit by extreme weather and their boat was found capsized. Chase's body was found last week while Craig's body was just found on Monday.