What is the meaning of "usher" as in usher death?

What is the meaning of "usher" as in usher death?

More than sex, more than faith, even more than its usher death, grief is unspoken, publicly ignored except for those moments at the funeral that are over too quickly.

Solution 1:

Definitions of usher from Merriam-Webster:

Noun: one who escorts persons to their seats (as in a theater)

Verb: to conduct to a place; to precede as an usher, forerunner, or harbinger

In the above quote, "even more than its usher death" uses "usher" as a noun. Essentially the usher is being identified as death, and this usher is who escorts grief to its metaphorical "seat".