Our RFD-TV family continues to remember Joey Feek. “I, just like thousands of others, have been reading Joey’s story shared by her devoted husband, Rory, often crying. The words he wrote about his precious bride exemplify what true love really is. Joey was one of the most God-fearing, loving, courageous individuals…she makes people – even those who didn’t truly know her – want to be better in this life. Our prayers are with the Feek family forever and always.” –Raquel Gottsch, Executive Vice President, RFD-TV
The hearts of many are going out today for the loss of Joey Feek—one half of perhaps the most beloved country duo of recent memory, Joey+Rory. Both vocalists, their music was heard and loved by countless adoring fans, which led to the release of five albums and won them Top New Vocal Duo at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Most recently, the couple also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their rendition of “If I Needed You.” But perhaps even more than their music, Joey and Rory’s story left a legacy that touched lives across the world.
The pair were engaged only a few months after formally meeting, and were wed in 2002. They were lovers first—business partners second. While both Joey and Rory pursued their own individual careers as artists, they found the spotlight in 2008, when the two finished third on the CMT competition series,Can You Duet. However, their rise to fame and superstardom never inhibited their devotion to each other and to their humble lives on the farm, which was captured in the RFD-TV series, The Joey+Rory Show beginning in 2012.
Tragically, Joey’s battle with cancer began in 2014, just after the birth of the couple’s daughter, Indiana. Although she initially beat the cancer, it returned a year later with a vengeance. Joey’s decline this fall was heartbreaking not only for us, but for thousands of fans around the world who wanted to do more than stand by helplessly watching her struggle. At the request of RFD-TV, fans began sending handwritten letters to the Feeks to show love and support.
“I hope Joey knows how much we love her. Prayers go out to Joey and her family. Thanks to Rory for sharing so much,” one fan, Teri Reeves, said.
RFD-TV also broadcast a five-hour marathon special called To Joey+Rory with Love, which included a marathon of ten favorite episodes of The Joey+Rory Show. At the end of the broadcast, stars such as Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, and Marty Stuart gave personal messages to the Feeks. Other country stars, like Reba McEntire, Kix Brooks, and Ronnie Dunn sent their love.
In fact, the outpouring of letters from fans and stars alike were so overwhelming that we could barely keep track of them all. This woman—and this family—truly moved lives, not just in country music, but in America and around the world.
“J+R symbolize the America that millions of us hope is still alive somewhere in this country,” another fan, Mike Joyce, said in his letter.
Although God didn’t grant Joey the miracle that everyone had been praying and hoping for, he did grant her the miracle that was her life —a life that was cut short, but nonetheless a blessing for those she touched during the years she was given. Joey and Rory showed us how to love, how to step out of our comfort zones, how to succeed, how to live humbly, and how to find comfort in music and God. Although Joey may be gone, the echo of her voice will resonate from the stereos and hearts of thousands of fans—and from the family that she leaves behind. She will truly be missed.
Read Rory’s blog HERE: thislifeilive.com
(NASHVILLE, TENN. — Feb. 2, 2016) Effective immediately, Rural Radio Channel 147 is reactivated on SiriusXM Canada and broadcasting across the country. The move came after Sirius was inundated with calls, letters, and social posts from listeners dismayed at the sudden removal of the rural-lifestyle channel in October from the Sirius side of the SiriusXM Canada lineup.
