The world is mourning the loss of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away Sunday, Nov. 19, at her home in Georgia at the age of 96. Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood are mourning too — not just for the loss of a beloved member of society — but for their personal friend.
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Brooks and Yearwood became close with both Rosalynn Carter and former President Jimmy Carter through their shared work with the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity. Yearwood shared an especially strong bond with the former First Lady, and Brooks revealed that her death will be difficult for both of them.
"They were inseparable," Brooks told People at a press conference promoting his new Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-tonk. "It's gonna be tough."
Brooks also revealed that President Carter calls Yearwood his "second favorite Georgia peach," after his wife, of course.
Yearwood had a nickname for the First Lady as well — one that encompasses her spirit and the good she brought into the world with her many charitable endeavors.
"Miss Yearwood called [Rosalynn Carter] her 'quiet warrior,'" Brooks said. "What she says is very quiet, yet very powerful. And what she taught Miss Yearwood — what she teaches us all — is the lion doesn't have to roar. And the statement doesn't have to be more than a few words to get your point across. She was great at that, and everyone loved her for that."
"A light has gone out that kind of shines on how we should treat each other," he adds. "But if we all pick that light up, maybe that light can grow."
Brooks spoke more about the loss in a separate interview with the publication, and he revealed that the event has caused him to cherish his wife even more. He also offered his sympathy to the former president.
"Right now, all eyes are on Miss Rosalynn and especially President Carter, so I'm just thankful that I have 'the Queen,'" he said, using his frequent nickname for Yearwood. "Forgive me for saying this, but I see a lot of our future in the way [the Carters] acted with each other ... I can't imagine living life without Miss Yearwood, so I don't know how President Carter is gonna do it."
Brooks and Yearwood have often called the Carters "role models," and they've spoken about how the couple has inspired them over the years. The country couple followed in the Carters' footsteps by hosting the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, a home building project, in October of this year. Brooks and Yearwood also shared their appreciation for their friends at the Carters' 75th Wedding Anniversary celebration, gifting them with a 1946 Ford Super Deluxe convertible.
