Celebrity Celebrity Deaths Celebrity Death Tributes Amanda Kloots on Raising Son Without Nick Cordero: 'Thank God I Have a Little Piece of My Husband' Amanda Kloots says her 16-month-old son Elvis gives her so much joy By Mia McNiece Mia McNiece Mia McNiece joined PEOPLE in 2010 and is currently the Senior Movies Editor. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 22, 2020 11:24AM EDT Although it's been an incredibly difficult year for Amanda Kloots, who lost her husband Nick Cordero to complications from COVID-19 in July, she says she will forever be grateful for their 16-month-old son Elvis who makes her smile every day. "Thank god I have a little piece of my husband," Kloots, 38, tells PEOPLE of her son. "Anytime I'm sad, he brightens my mood in two seconds. He looks at me with his big smile and his little teeth, and I'm instantly transported into a different mood." For more on Amanda Kloots, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday Amanda Kloots/Instagram On Sundays, Kloots and Elvis often take day trips to explore new places and recently visited Montecito, Calif. They also went to a pumpkin patch to get ready for Halloween and Kloots says his costume this year was a no-brainer. “He’s obviously going to be Elvis,” she says with a laugh. “Until he can't tell me he's not going to be Elvis anymore. He was Elvis last year and he’ll be Elvis this year.” Amanda Kloots and son Elvis. Mike Rosenthal Amanda Kloots to Release Memoir, Live Your Life, About Her and Nick Cordero's Incredible Love Story Kloots says she can already see the similarities between her son and husband. "He is calm and cool and gets along with everybody. I think that's very much Nick," she says. "We have this beautiful little boy that we created together. I love watching him grow, and I know Nick is watching him too." In late March, Cordero was diagnosed with COVID-19 and spent 95 days in the hospital, 42 of them in a medically induced coma. The Broadway star developed a lung infection and septic shock and had to have his right leg amputated. After more than three months of fighting for his life, he died on July 5. Watch the full episode of People Cover Story: Amanda Kloots streaming now on PeopleTV.com, or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device.