On January 9, 2025, country music’s beloved duo Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood paid tribute to their longtime friend, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, with a moving performance during his state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.

Carter, who passed away peacefully at his Plains, Georgia home on December 29, 2024, lived to be 100 years old—making him the longest-lived president in American history. Surrounded by family in his final moments, his passing closed a remarkable chapter in U.S. history.

During the service, Brooks and Yearwood performed “Imagine” by John Lennon, a song Carter held close to his heart. Brooks began softly strumming his guitar, his voice carrying the song’s hopeful plea for peace. Yearwood soon joined in, their harmonies rising with the cathedral choir and moving many to tears. It wasn’t the first time they had performed the tune for the Carters; just a year earlier, they sang the same song at the funeral of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

Their presence at the service reflected a friendship built over decades of shared work with Habitat for Humanity. The Carters and the couple had worked side by side on numerous projects, even joining in the 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Week to help construct a community of 1,200 homes in Minnesota. That bond of service and love shone through in their performance.

Ahead of the funeral, both Brooks and Yearwood shared heartfelt tributes online. Brooks wrote:
“President Carter, the legacy you and Rosalynn have left us is as beautiful as the life you lived. 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.”

Yearwood added:
“Rest easy, Mr. President. I’m sad for us, and happy for you. Your and Mrs. Rosalynn’s legacy of love will live forever.”

The service was also historic, as it brought together all five living U.S. presidents—Biden, Trump, Obama, Clinton, and Bush—marking their first joint appearance since George H. W. Bush’s funeral in 2018.

More than a farewell, the day became a celebration of Carter’s extraordinary life—a reminder of the humility, compassion, and service that defined his century on earth.