Though much has changed in Rory Feek‘s personal life over the past couple of years, one thing is the same: He still remembers his late wife and duo partner Joey on March 4 every year, the anniversary of the day she died.
Tuesday (March 4) marked nine years since Joey died after a cancer battle at just 40 years old.
To commemorate the day, Feek spent some time at her grave along with Indiana, the 11-year-old daughter that he and his late wife share.
He posted a closeup of the daffodil bouquet they placed on her grave, little Indiana’s hands in the frame as she holds a watering can.
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“Every March at this exact time the daffodils begin blooming here on the farm,” Feek writes, “just in time for Indiana to pick and bring to her Mama’s cross, as we think of and remember her …”
- Joey Feek was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014, just months after giving birth to her daughter.
- The singer and her duo partner husband kept fans posted throughout her cancer battle, which included multiple surgeries and an aggressive round of chemotherapy and radiation.
- Eventually, they made the difficult decision to stop treatment. Joey died months later.
Feek has kept Joey’s memory alive in the years since her death, both in the public eye and in the life of her young daughter.
More recently, the family has been through some highs and lows. Feek found love again and married Rebecca, Indiana’s schoolteacher, in 2024.
He also experienced growing tensions mounting with his two adult daughters, Heidi and Hopie, which eventually became a full-on estrangement. His oldest daughter, Heidi, has said that both she and Hopie are now prohibited from spending time with their little sister.
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In February, his second daughter Hopie shared that she had taken a DNA test that yielded some news: Feek is not her biological father.
He responded with a blog post saying that her paternity test result was news to him, but shared some detail as to why he wasn’t entirely surprised. Heidi and Hopie were both born during Feek’s marriage to their mom, Tamara Gilmer.
Cancer touches almost every family at some point, and country stars are no exception. Tragically, some of them have died of their illnesses. Read on to learn the stories behind stars who have faced cancer diagnoses.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak