Free Republic

On March 4, the world of pop culture mourned the passing of Joey Feek. She was a country duet singer with her husband Rory, a TV and radio host, a mother of a child with Down syndrome, and, a woman who just gave the world an unforgettable lesson about the love of family, and death with true dignity. Married in 2006, Rory and Joey achieved fame on the Country Music Television singing competition “Can You Duet?” in 2008. Their first album, topped the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in March. The Feeks earned three nominations, including new artist of the...

Joey Feek, who rose to fame as a member of the soulful husband-and-wife country duo Joey + Rory, died Friday, according to her husband’s blog. She was 40 years old. Feek made headlines in recent months as her husband, Rory, blogged on behalf of the couple about their experiences as she fought cervical cancer that eventually spread to her colon. When the songstress’ cancer spread in October 2015, she informed fans that she was stopping treatment. She entered hospice care in early November, and Rory kept fans up-to-date in the months that followed.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Singer Joey Feek of the country duo Joey and Rory has died after a long battle with cervical cancer. Joey, 40, passed away around 2:30 p.m. Friday in her hometown of Alexandria, Indiana. “When a person has been through as much pain and struggle as Joey’s been through, you just want it to be over,” Rory wrote on his online blog. “You want them to not have to hurt anymore more than that you want them to stay with you. And so, it makes the hard job of saying goodbye just a little easier.”

If you’re a dedicated country music fan, just hearing the names Joey and Rory Feek is probably enough to produce tears streaming down your face. But if, like many others, those names don’t yet ring a bell, you might want to grab some tissues before reading on — or before watching Monday night’s Grammys. You’re going to hear a lot about the couple over the next few days.