Grammy Awards 2017: Rory Feek Recalls Promise He Made To Dying Joey Feek In Emotional Acceptance Speech

Joey Feek may be gone, but her memory lives on. Husband Rory Feek made sure to honor his wife, who died in 2016, after accepting their joint Grammy Award on Sunday.

The duo, known to country music fans as Joey + Rory, won best roots gospel album. Rory, 51, accepted the award ahead of the televised Grammy Awards, delivering a heartfelt acceptance speech about Joey and their lives together. The widower recalled a promise he made to Joey while watching the 2016 Grammy Awards — one of the final things they did together before she died — to attend the 2017 awards show if they were nominated. At the time, Joey + Rory had just released their album, “Hymns That Are Important To Us.”

“[‘Hymns That Are Important To Us’] finally came out a year ago almost exactly, and we sat together in the final days and watched this awards ceremony last year,” Rory said (via Us Weekly). “She said, ‘If we get nominated, promise me you will come.’ I said, ‘I will.’ And, she said with a smile, ‘Remember, if we win, I’ll know before you know.’ This is to my wife.”

Rory also revealed the significance of the album in his speech. He shared with those in attendance that it was his wife’s dream “pretty much her whole life” to release a record of hymns. As such, they felt it was important to do it before she died. They worked on it while Joey underwent chemotherapy and radiation and were able to get it out before Joey’s death nearly one month later.

Rory celebrated his big win with a call to his daughter Indiana. He told Entertainment Tonight the toddler was staying with her grandmother while he was in Los Angeles for the Grammys and was likely “playing outside” when he called. While he wasn’t able to get ahold of Indiana to tell her he’d won, they’ll get another chance to celebrate in the coming week.

“She turns three next week, actually this Friday. So, it’s a big week for us,” he told ET Online. “Joey’s family is coming down to our farm in Tennessee, and we’re gonna have a birthday party.”

Joey died on March 4, 2016, after a lengthy battle with cervical cancer. Rory documented much of her final months in a blog at her request. He is also said to be penning a book about their lives together which will include details about her cancer and more.