Joey Feek Remembered By Dolly Parton, ‘I Guess The Lord Needed Her More Than We Did’


Joey Feek lost her battle with cancer on March 4, and since then, her fans have been remembering her fondly.

According to Rory Feek’s blog This Life I Live, Joey was always a huge fan of country music legend Dolly Parton. She grew up covering her songs, and it was a dream of hers to get to meet Parton herself one day. Sadly, that never got to happen. However, Parton did send Joey a video message before her death, telling her just how much it meant to her that Joey was a fan.

“From the time she was four years old, Joey had been singing Dolly’s songs and dreamed of one day meeting her. Coat of Many Colors was a regular part of our show and at home she loved to put on Dolly and listen to ‘Hello God,’ ‘When I Sing For Him,’ ‘Me and Little Andy’ and many others. She never got the chance to meet her in person and had no idea that Dolly even knew who she was. But that changed one Friday evening this past November.”

“Joey’s family, Russdriver and I gathered around Joey’s bedside to watch the movie ‘Hope Floats’ (one of the few movies Joey knew and loved) with her. But instead of pushing play on the DVD, I pushed play on the video I had received… and we all watched Joey watch. It was the most beautiful moment I have ever been part of…”

Following Joey’s tragic death, Rory shared a video that showed Joey watching the message from Parton for the first time.

“I’ve heard that you’re a big fan. Well, I want you to know I appreciate that and I want you to know I’m sorry that you’re not feeling good. I just wanted to take a chance to say thank you for loving me, and I’ll be loving you,” Dolly said in the message.

Joey watched the television screen as tears started flowing down her face. Although she never got to meet Dolly, she said getting the message was just as good.

“If I were to die tomorrow, I’d be so complete,” an emotional Feek said after watching the video. “I can’t believe that.”

Joey’s Dolly from Hickory Films on Vimeo.

Dolly Parton admitted she was disappointed that she never got to meet Joey Feek in person before she passed away, and the news of her death hit her really hard.

“When I heard she had passed, it really hit me like [it was] a relative. It really made my heart sad,” Parton told The Boot. “She handled that so well, her and [husband] Rory [Feek]. They [had] a wonderful way in how to deal with such a thing as that. To leave behind that little child [daughter Indiana] is a sad thing. But she’s watching. She’s up there. I’m sorry that she did pass.”

“She was such a sweet, sweet person,” Parton added. “They had such a wonderful thing going. I was just so sorry that she had to be taken, but I guess the Lord needed her more than we did. She was a big fan of mine. I was really touched by that.”

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Joey Feek was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer in May 2014, three months after giving birth to her daughter Indiana, 2. She later underwent a radical hysterectomy and rounds of chemotherapy and radiation and was told she was cancer free. However, in October 2015, Joey’s doctors discovered that her cancer had returned and was spreading aggressively throughout her body. Joey’s cancer was terminal, and she made the difficult decision to stop treatment and return to her home in hospice care.

Joey and her husband Rory stayed in Joey’s hometown of Alexandria, Indiana, until Joey passed away earlier this week. Rory has since returned to their home in Tennessee, where he is currently preparing Joey’s funeral.

[Photo via This Life I Live]

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