IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

The power of music: Elderly man sings to dying wife in heartwrenching video

"This was the song my grandmother would sing when my grandfather went away to fight in World War II."
/ Source: TODAY

The songbook standard "You'll Never Know" may have seen its heyday in the 40s and 50s, but its beauty still resonates today.

That's no more clearly demonstrated than in a short video uploaded to Facebook and then to YouTube by Erin Solari this month.

In it, her 92-year-old grandfather is seen comforting his dying wife and eventually serenading her with the tune's romantic lyrics.

"This was the song my grandmother would sing when my grandfather went away to fight in World War II. It has been their love song ever since," Solari explains in the caption of the video.

"She is 93, he is 92, and they have been married for 73 years! Now he is the one singing to her as she prepares to go away."

And as if the sweet video, coupled with the fitting lyrics ("You went away and my heart went with you...") weren't enough to make us reach for a box of tissues, Solari then goes on to discuss the beautiful backstory.

"Moments before this video began, when Grandma heard that Grandpa was in the room, she asked if she could hold him," she wrote.

Howard sings to his wife Laura in Hospice
Howard, 92, sings to his wife Laura, 93, during one of her last days in Hospice.Erin Solari / YouTube

"Grandpa cannot stand on his own, but he immediately pulled his wheelchair close to her bed ready to make it happen. My cousin, Serena, who is a physical therapist, helped him to his feet and held him up throughout the entire song."

The duet — which Solari, too, sees as "precious" and "heart-melting" — wasn't a one-time occasion.

She mentions that it "was not uncommon for the two of them to sing this song together, each taking a verse and serenading the other.

"In fact, after fifty years of marriage, they renewed their vows and performed this song as a duet for the entire family at the reception."

Now that Solari's grandmother is bed-ridden and is nearing the end of her life, she doesn't have the strength to sing along, but she does offer a few words here and there ("You oughta know, for haven't I told you..." she sings, as Howard finishes the line for her: "...so, a million or more times").

She also has mascular degeneration, a condition that has deteriorated her eyesight and left her unable to see anything but light and shadows.

But the internet has worked its magic.

The video has gone viral, and "the outpouring of love lifted everyone's spirits...including Grandma's!" Solari wrote in an updated caption.

"As of this posting, my beautiful Grandma Laura Virginia is still with us resting peacefully at home."