Garth Brooks recently announced that his wife, Trisha Yearwood, has tested positive for COVID-19.
“The Queen and I have now tested twice,” Brooks said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Billboard. “Officially, she’s diagnosed as ‘on her way out of the tunnel’ now, though, which I’m extremely thankful for.”
Although Brooks has tested negative so far, he said he plans to stay out of the spotlight for a while and will be briefly pausing his weekly Facebook show.
“Anyone who knows me knows my world begins and ends with Miss Yearwood, so she and I will ride through this together,” he said. “And anyone who knows her knows she’s a fighter and she’s been doing everything right, so I know we’ll walk out the other side of this thing together.”
Yearwood is recovering but still experiencing symptoms. Brooks said he is concerned about potential long-term effects COVID-19 may have on Yearwood, a powerhouse singer, and asked for fans to send “prayers and good thoughts.”
“If anyone asks, that’s what you can do for her. That’s what I’m doing,” he said. “Living with her, I sometimes take it for granted she’s one of the greatest voices in all of music, so the possible long-term effects on her concern me as her husband and as a fan. We’re very lucky she is currently under the greatest care in the best city for treating and healing singers.”
Brooks initially announced that he and Yearwood had been exposed to COVID-19 on Feb. 11. In a post on his social media accounts, the “Friends in Low Places” singer said someone on their team had tested positive and that he and Yearwood would be quarantining.
The pair had to delay getting tested for COVID-19 because of “severe winter weather” in Tennessee, Brooks said.
Brooks’ announcement comes about a month after he sang “Amazing Grace” for President Joe Biden’s inauguration — a performance that drew both praise and criticism from fans, according to the Deseret News.
“This is a statement of unity. This is kind of how I get to serve this country,” the country superstar said at the time. “This is an honor for me to get to serve. ... And it’s one of the things that, if my family is around, no matter who the president-elect is, it’s an honor to be asked.”
Over the past year, both Brooks and Yearwood have found ways to reach out to fans during a pandemic that has shut down concert halls and venues nationwide. Last March, the duo crashed Facebook with a livestream performance. A month later, they asked fans to send in song requests and put on a special for CBS. They followed up that up a few months later with a Christmas special on CBS.
Brooks also released a new album last year and said he can’t wait to host live, in-person concerts again, according to People.
“I want to see those signs,” Brooks told People in October. “I want to see those people that are at the end of their rope and somehow have found a light through music. Somehow, they’ve made a friend at a concert that changes their life and forever they are best buddies — that sort of thing. I want to see people leaving that stadium loving each other more than when they got there.”