Country music power couple Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood formed a close bond with former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Their relationship started with shared philanthropic goals. Then, it bloomed into a friendship. Brooks and Yearwood also looked up to the Carters.
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Brooks and Yearwood worked alongside the Carters on several Habitat for Humanity builds over the years. This year, the country legends took over the Carters’ annual build after they retired from public life.
On Tuesday, Brooks and Yearwood honored Rosalynn at her memorial service with a performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
Brooks: “You Don’t Say One Without the Other”
The former First Lady passed away last Sunday, November 19 in her Georgia home. The next day, Brooks talked about her during a press conference.
“It’s tough,” an emotional Brooks told American Songwriter and other press. “President Carter calls Ms. Yearwood his second favorite Georgia peach. All I can think about right now is, when you think about President Carter, you don’t say one without the other,” he added.
[RELATED: Garth Brooks Reflects on the Death of Rosalynn Carter: “A Light Has Gone Out”]
Brooks and Yearwood were friends with the Carters. However, Brooks said Yearwood and the former First Lady were especially close. “They were inseparable. Ms. Yearwood called her ‘quiet warrior.’ … When it comes time to speak, she’ll walk to the mic. What she says is very quiet but very powerful,” he explained. “She taught us all that the lion doesn’t have to roar. The statement doesn’t have to be more than a few words to get your point across.”
Brooks Has Long Been Inspired by the Carters
Earlier this year, Brooks spoke to People about what they learned from the Carters. “They’ve inspired us in a lot of ways. In the ways you expect—humanity, humbleness, work ethic. But, they’ve also inspired us by their example as husband and wife,” he said.
In 2021, Yearwood spoke to People about their relationship with the Carters. “They’ve been such role models to us ever since we met them probably 12 or 13 years ago when we started doing Habitat builds with them,” she said. “They’re just the example of who you want to be.” She added, “They served our country but then beyond that, what they’ve done in the world and how they’ve helped people globally, they’re the example of what to be.”
Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
