In 2015, tragedy struck the Feek family. Joey Feek found out her cancer had returned, and this time it was more aggressive than ever.
For Joey and her husband, Rory, it was another hurdle they would have to pass. Just a year earlier, they had welcomed a baby girl named Indiana who was diagnosed with Down syndrome. Their music careers put on hold, the country duo known as Joey + Rory were given a lot of battles to face.
Nothing would keep Joey Feek from fighting, though.
Joey Feek entered hospice care in 2016 and spent her last few days at home at the family farm. She and her husband watched the Grammy Awards together, with Joey making one thing clear.
"And we sat together in the final days and watched this award ceremony last year "” and she said, 'If we get nominated, promise me you will come.' And I said, 'I will,'" Rory remembered.
Joey + Rory won a Grammy award the following year, after Joey had passed, and Rory tearfully accepted the award.
After Joey's passing, Rory had one thing to focus on...his daughter Indy. He put all his time and attention into his little girl and making sure she knew how much both her parents love her, even if one was no longer around.
Now, a year after his wife's passing, Rory Feek will be performing for the first time since Joey's death.
Continue reading to see when, where, and why Rory has chosen to perform again.
Rory Feek held a press conference on Tuesday with the Musical Health Alliance, and announced that he will be performing once again in his wife's honor.
"I should get onstage and see what's there," Feek said. "What's in store? What would I say if I were up there by myself? For me it will be good because I will learn why I am supposed to be there and what the future holds."
The concert will be in September, around what would have been Joey's birthday. It will raise funds for the Music Health Alliance, which is a non-profit organization that helped the Feek family with their insurance and medical bills.
"What was waiting on me was a huge stack of medical bills," Feek said. "I could not navigate the barrage of medical bills that were coming in. What is covered? What is not covered? What isn't covered but should be? So I reached out to them."
The Musical Health Alliance asks musicians to donate 5% of their earnings for 1 day to help assist those with medical needs.
Rory Feek has chosen to give all of his earnings from this concert to the organization.
Several other musicians have already committed to donating proceeds, including Chris and Morgane Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Peter Frampton, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris.
