Why Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood performed at Rosalynn Carter's tribute service
ATLANTA - The tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at Emory University on Tuesday afternoon featured performances by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus, pianist David Osborne and country legends Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks.
According to US Magazine, Brooks and Yearwood became friends with the Carters through Habitat for Humanity and in October, they took over hosting duties for the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project involving 27 homes in Charlotte, North Carolina.
President Carter reportedly called Yearwood his "second favorite Georgia peach," according to Brooks.
Brooks also said during a press conference to promote his new Nashville venue that the loss hit his wife, Yearwood, very hard. Brooks also said that the death of Rosalynn Carter caused him to reflect on love, loss, and what he's most grateful for.
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Rosalynn Carter's tribute service in Atlanta | Nov. 23, 2023
Yearwood and Brooks gave the Carters a fully-restored, red 1946 Ford Super Deluxe convertible for their 75th wedding anniversary in 2021, according to People magazine.
The country superstars performed John Lennon's song "Imagine" during the tribute service.
US country singer Garth Brooks performs during a tribute service for former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 28, 2023. (Photo by BRYNN ANDERSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Yearwood was born in 1964 in Monticello. She grew up in Georgia and attended the University of Georgia for one semester before dropping out. She then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and enrolled in Belmont College to pursue a music degree.
Trisha Yearwood touches the casket after performing "Imagine" at a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at Emory University on November 28, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brynn Anderson-
Pianist David Osborne also considered the Carters to be close friends. During an interview shortly after Mrs. Carter's death, he said that he had not been able to work since she died and in many ways, her death has been harder than losing his own parents.
Osborne reportedly played for the Carters for 38 years.
He played several hymnals during the service and "Wind Beneath My Wings" during the recessional.