Security footage captures a husband kissing his wife — but sadly, it would be their last memory

Grief arrives quietly, often when we least expect it.  For Crystal Samson (@beware868), a wife and mother from West Virginia, the final kiss from her husband on an ordinary night became a memory she will carry for the rest of her life. On the night of July 6, 2024, Crystal and her husband Charlie were settling in after a typical day. They had spent time talking about her uncle's passing earlier that day and even looked through photos from a recent family trip to Florida. It had been a day filled with both sadness and closeness.

As they got ready to sleep, Charlie leaned over and gave Samson a gentle kiss on the shoulder, something he’d never done in their 19 years together. Samson later described the moment as having a kind of finality, like he was saying goodbye in a way neither of them understood at the time. Soon after, she noticed Charlie's breathing had changed. At first, it seemed like one of his usual sleep twitches, but then his body jerked violently, and he rolled onto his back. Alarmed, she turned on the light and tried to wake him. He mumbled faintly but couldn’t respond. Their two sons, aged 13 and 16, watched as Samson and her eldest son moved Charlie to the floor and began CPR.

Crystal shared the emotional footage on TikTok, captured by a camera in their bedroom, with a caption that read, “This was the night he decided to go to Heaven…it’s almost like he knew, for the first time in 19 years I never felt a kiss on my shoulder or an ‘I love you’ so pure and so different, he made sure he told me goodbye. I need him back! My soul screams for him daily.”

Emergency responders arrived quickly, and she rushed to the hospital. Just minutes later, doctors told her there was nothing more they could do. Charlie had suffered a massive heart attack. He had already survived a major one earlier that year, commonly called a 'widowmaker,' which left his heart severely weakened. “He was always thinking about us,” Crystal told Newsweek.  “Even when people begged him to slow down, he’d say, ‘My family has to survive.’”

Their life together hadn’t always been easy. Years earlier, both Crystal and Charlie had struggled with addiction and served time in prison. But they fought hard to rebuild. Now, left to raise their sons without him, Crystal is leaning on her faith, her children, and her healing journey to carry on. In the wake of her loss, Crystal’s story has struck a chord with thousands online. People from around the world have shared their own grief, near-misses, and reflections.

One user, @jao_like_mayo, recalled how her sister-in-law suffered cardiac arrest in the early morning hours—saved only because her husband kissed her before leaving for work and noticed something was wrong.@jaime_lee8 commented, “You were the last thing he felt. His last thought. You were his forever.” And @jodie_harman_orchard, sharing her own heartbreak, wrote, “My husband left me nearly six years ago. We’d had a lovely day, then out of nowhere, he had a cardiac arrest in front of me. Oh, for one more of his hugs.”

To follow Crystal's journey, you can find her on TikTok as @beware868.