Introduction
Indiana Feek — A Little Voice Carrying On Her Late Mother’s Memory
On August 5, Rory Feek — one half of the beloved country duo Joey + Rory — shared a touching throwback video of his daughter, Indiana, singing a hymn alongside her late mother, Joey Feek. Nearly a decade has passed since Joey’s death, yet her presence remains deeply alive through her family and her music.
The video, filmed from inside a car, shows young Indiana buckled into her seat, joyfully singing along to her parents’ rendition of “He Touched Me” from their 2016 gospel album Hymns That Are Important to Us. With a radiant smile, she waves her arms and sways as she sings to her mother’s voice — a simple but powerful reminder of how music can bridge generations and keep love alive.
Rory captioned the post: “Though she has done a couple of real recordings with her Papa through the years, her first big performance was in the backseat of the truck singing along with her mama, when she thought nobody was paying attention.” The moment is especially poignant, as Joey passed away from cancer on March 4, 2016, at just 40 years old. Indiana was only two at the time.
Since then, Indiana has continued to nurture her love of music. Rory has also kept busy — releasing songs, writing on his blog, and, in 2024, marrying Rebecca, Indiana’s schoolteacher, after finding love again.
Yet, life has not been without challenges. In recent years, Rory’s relationship with his two older daughters, Heidi and Hopie — from a previous marriage — has fractured. The sisters claim they have been blocked from seeing Indiana, despite once being close with her, and have reconnected with their mother, Tamara Gilmer. They allege Rory misrepresented why Gilmer was absent in their childhood. Rory, in turn, disputes their account and says differences in values and parenting choices, such as screen time, have led him to distance Indiana.
In February, further revelations surfaced when Hopie shared that a DNA test revealed Rory is not her biological father. She expressed that meeting her biological father has brought her healing. Rory admitted he wasn’t surprised by the results and explained the timeline of events.
The Feek family’s journey weaves together love, loss, and complicated family dynamics. But the image of Indiana singing from her car seat — her young voice blending with her mother’s — stands as a tender reminder: even in grief, music carries the power to heal, connect, and keep memories alive.