On Thursday, Nashville country music couple Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood performed at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in Washington, D.C.
The couple performed John Lennon’s song “Imagine” to honor their friend Carter, the nation’s 39th president, who died on Dec. 29 at 100 years old.
Carter’s life and legacy was honored with a state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral by speakers including President Joe Biden, Carter’s former adviser Stu Eizenstat, Carter’s grandson Jason Carter, the son of Gerald Ford, Steve Ford, and the son of Walter Mondale, Ted Mondale.
All five living presidents were in attendance at Carter’s funeral, including President-elect Trump and former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush.
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Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sing ‘Imagine’ to honor Jimmy Carter
Brooks and Yearwood walked onto the cathedral’s stage after Reverend Andrew Young delivered a homily. The duo wore all-black, and Brooks seemingly left the cowboy hat at home out of respect.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood perform at a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., November 28, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Brooks and Yearwood began singing a tender version of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” a song that Carter asked Brooks to perform at his funeral, CBS reported.
As Brooks played emotive acoustic guitar, he crooned the verses while videos of Carter spanning his career were shown alongside.
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Yearwood joined in with harmonies during the chorus, singing: “You may say I’m a dreamer / But I’m not the only one / I hope someday you’ll join us / And the world will be as one.”
Throughout the performance, the camera panned to a somber President Joe Biden, who was shown closing his eyes and taking in the music. President-elect Donald Trump was also shown attentively regarding the tribute performance.
How did Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks know Jimmy Carter?
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood became friends with Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn Carter, who died in 2023, by volunteering with the couple at Habitat for Humanity builds.
Famously, Brooks admitted to not being able to keep up with Carter at the builds. Brooks even said that once Carter called him out for taking a break, saying: “You need something to do, Garth?”
Nov. 2, 2015: Rosalyn (right) and Jimmy Carter work at a Habitat for Humanity build site alongside singers Trisha Yearwood and her husband, Garth Brooks, (left) in the Uptown neighborhood.
Yearwood and Brooks spent Carter’s 100th birthday in October in St. Paul, Minn. for Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Week Project. They built 30 homes for a 1,200-home community.
Brooks also paid tribute to Carter after his death.
“President Carter, the legacy you and Rosalynn have left us is as beautiful as the life you lived,” he said on Instagram, posting a picture of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter at a Habitat for Humanity build.
“Thank you for your lifetime of service to our country and the world. You inspired us not just by what you said, but by what you built. We love you.”
Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter with The Tennessean. You can reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Watch: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood perform at Jimmy Carter’s funeral
