FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — In just a few weeks, an event comes to Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin. The hope is it'll help others with a particular struggle and make a conversation less taboo. It's an event that couldn't be more important to one family.
"We used to watch the WWF wrestling, and we used to go see them live like Hulk Hogan and the Macho Man Randy Savage," laughed Jenny Fann, speaking to her father Rich Gootee.
There is no shortage of great memories that Fann has of her brother, that Gootee has of his son, Joey.
"We're about three-and-a-half years apart," Fann smiled. "We loved our Big Wheels. Fierce competition on the Nintendo. We were the typical brother-sister duo."
Competition was just part of Joey's growing up.
"He was basically a 24/7 wrestler," Fann remembered of Joey's wrestling in high school. "He wasn't going to leave the matt without a win."
"Joey's in the purple for Father Ryan," she continued, holding up a picture of a match.
"This is Joey's state championship ring," Gootee added. "His senior year he won the 152-pound weight class."
"It's almost like a Super Bowl ring," Fann smiled.
That drive carried into Joey's adult life. He got into music just like his singer/songwriter dad.
"He became a very talented electronic dance music producer, did DJ shows all over the country and all over the world under the name Joey Modus," Gootee said.
There came a day Fann and Gootee knew something was wrong with Joey.
"It started with an ongoing sports injury from wrestling," Fann said. "It ended up with a surgery which led to an addiction to the pain medications. Once the prescriptions stopped coming in, he had to find alternative ways to medicate and feed that addiction, and unfortunately, that was heroin. Underneath the addiction, I knew my brother was there."
"It's very hard," Gootee continued. "It's very hard because you feel helpless. He came to me and said, 'dad, I need help, and I'm ready to get it.'"
Joey was taken to addiction treatment center Discovery Place and was getting better.
"He was telling me, 'Dad, when I get out of this program, I'm gonna want to dedicate my life to helping people rehab,'" Gootee remembered.
After a relapse, Joey died the day after Christmas in 2015.
"I always felt like I wanted to do something to help other families going through addiction," Fann said.
Fann's real estate team Jenny Fann and the Gurus is sponsoring the Joey 5K. It's a race on Saturday, March 4 at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin to benefit Discovery Place.
"Joey would have wanted this," Gootee said. "Joey was always looking to help people. It honors Joey's name, and it helps people and lets people know there is help out there and not do this on their own."
Registration for the Joey 5K is due on Feb. 17th. To sign up for the event, go here.
