Although Joey Feek may have passed away, her legacy continues to live on through her inspiring and uplifting music, which she and her husband created to honor their Lord and Savior.
While suffering through an painful cancer battle that had her traveling between Nashville, Chicago and Atlanta for treatments, Joey and her husband, Rory, released their final album, Hymns That Are Important to Us, on February 12th.
"A lot has taken place in a year's time, but through it all, these songs have given me such strength," Joey said earlier this year. "They've given me such hope, and they give me something to look forward to."
According to a recent report from Rolling Stone, the album debuted atop both the country and Christian album charts, and hasn't left the Top 10 of Billboard's all-genre album chart since its release.
"When the label called to give us the news I immediately took the phone in to Joey," Rory said in a press release about the milestone.
"This recording was 'hers' from the beginning. This is one that she has always wanted to make, and she's worked so hard to make it happen, in spite of the difficult circumstances she is facing. As I congratulated her, she responded through tears, 'No, Honey, this is God's record....'"
So far, it is the best-selling Christian or gospel album of the year and is the country duo's best-selling album of their catalog, outselling 2008's The Life of a Song.
"Sometimes in the evenings I would get out a microphone, and my wife sang the vocals in our hotel room because she wanted to see this record happen," Rory, 50, told Rolling Stone. "She did her vocals where she could - in hotel rooms, at our house, wherever and whenever she felt up to singing."
Joey and Rory Feek married in 2002 and have one daughter, Indiana, who just turned 2 years old on Feb. 17. In 2014, Joey began chemotherapy for stage-four cervical cancer. She relapsed in 2015, and the cancer was deemed terminal. On March 4, Joey entered into the arms of Jesus at age 40.
Prior to his wife's death, Rory said the couple was astounded by the album's success.
"No one is more surprised that our Hymns record has sold this many copies than Joey and I," Rory told Billboard. "For the last few months, we've been in Indiana, far away from the music business, living and sharing the story of our personal journey through my blog. We haven't been promoting our careers at all. The only way I can explain the sales of this record is that it's a byproduct of something bigger: love."
While he continues to mourn the loss of his wife, Rory revealed he still feels God's presence, and is eager to carry on his wife's spirit and legacy.
He said: "Joey and I have both experienced the power of living, and telling a great story, so I hope to be able to continue writing and being part of a great story."
