Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood lent their voices to honor their late friend Jimmy Carter. On Thursday, the country star couple sang a touching rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” at the former president’s funeral, less than two years after singing the track at Rosalynn Carter’s memorial service.
“Imagine there’s no countries/It isn’t hard to do,” sang Brooks, backed by a soft piano. “Nothing to kill or die for/And no religion, too.”
President Joe Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, George and Laura Bush, and Hillary and Bill Clinton could be seen reading the lyrics to the Lennon song as Brooks and Yearwood sang. President-elect Donald Trump was also seen closing his eyes as the pair performed.
Yearwood performed the peaceful song before the church recited the Lord’s Prayer. Carter was honored Thursday at a memorial service, several weeks after he died on Dec. 29 at age 100 while receiving hospice care.
Yearwood and Brooks had a close relationship with the late Carters, through their involvement with Habitat for Humanity. The Carters were longtime champions of the cause, while Yearwood and Brooks became involved with the organization following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The two couples frequently worked together on building projects, and in 2023 — with the Carters in hospice care — Yearwood and Brooks officially took over as hosts of Habitat for Humanity’s annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Week Project. The pair reportedly met while working together on a Habitat project.
Brooks and Yearwood honored Carter for his 100th birthday by spending the president’s birthday at the 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Week Project, building homes for a new community. “He definitely wants to know that we’re working and this is why we’re here,” Yearwood told Peoplein October. “He has a legacy of service and he never stopped serving.”
“He’s not physically standing here building, swinging a hammer, but we feel his presence and Ms. Rosalynn’s presence strongly,” she added. “We’re just two volunteers, but everybody who’s on this site feels that responsibility to make them proud.”
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: UKinIUSA from Washington, D.C., USA