{"id":2132733,"date":"2025-11-03T17:24:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2132733"},"modified":"2025-11-03T17:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:24:13","slug":"amy-grant-to-host-alive-hospice-gala-music-is-great-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/amy-grant-to-host-alive-hospice-gala-music-is-great-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Amy Grant to host Alive Hospice gala. &#8216;Music is great medicine&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Between sold-out arena shows in 1998, Amy Grant sometimes did much smaller gigs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She&#8217;d grab her guitar and sing for dying patients and grieving staff members at a new hospice facility in Nashville.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Turns out one of her best friends from high school, Pam Saucier, was a nurse at Alive Hospice. Saucier knew the superstar&#8217;s music and calm demeanor would bring joy and peace to a fledgling place that needed both.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Amy was extremely busy then, traveling on tour more than not,&#8221; Saucier said, &#8220;but every once in a while, I\u2019d catch her on the right day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Grant, a longtime Christian pop music star and Nashville philanthropist, is hosting the Alive Hospice 50th anniversary gala Nov. 4 with her country star husband, Vince Gill, also known for decades of supporting Nashville nonprofits.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Amy Grant at her home in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, April 11, 2024.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For Grant, 64, the Alive Hospice connection is deeply personal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She has kept a close relationship since with Alive Hospice since her first visits there 27 years ago. The hospice eventually provided at-home care for both of her parents and inpatient care to the man who signed her to ASCAP when she was a teenager.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I think Amy has experienced hospice in a very personal way,&#8221; Saucier said, &#8220;and she understands the value it can bring to patients and families at a really critical point in people\u2019s lives. She has been a huge advocate for hospice forever.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Grant&#8217;s first gigs at Alive Hospice<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When the in-patient facility opened in 1998, Alive Hospice hosted monthly staff ceremonies to honor the patients who died in the four weeks prior.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Saucier, a hospice nurse then who&#8217;d first met Grant when the two were Harpeth Hall classmates, decided spontaneously one to see if her famous friend might provide music for that ceremony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I called her on the phone and said, &#8216;What are you doing this afternoon?'&#8221; Saucier said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Grant started singing now and then for those ceremonies and for patients in their rooms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Music is great medicine,&#8221; Grant said. &#8220;It\u2019s an easy way to be togegther. You\u2019re not talking about politics or anything else \u2014 you\u2019re just creating a smile.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Grant said that she believes music even reaches patients who appear nonresponsive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;My dad was a physician,&#8221; she said, &#8220;and from when I was little, he\u2019d say, hearing is the last thing to go.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Grant said one of the joys of visiting is seeing kind and caring staff members take a lot of fear out of dying, for both patients and their loved ones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I have the same impression there always,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s so respectful, it\u2019s welcoming, it\u2019s comfortable. I\u2019ve never visited the residence without coming away with the exact same feeling, that everybody is glad to be there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">A bedside toast<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Grant started recognizing some patients who&#8217;d worked on Music Row, including Merlin Littlefield, the industry executive who signed her to royalties-collection agency ASCAP when she was a teenager.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Littlefield died from pancreatic cancer in 2008 at Alive Hospice. A day or so before, his wife called Grant to have her visit and sing for him.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"In 1987, ASCAP exec Merlin Littlefield, left, joins then Vanderbilt head football coach Watson Brown in hoisting ASCAP leader Connie Bradley at a lunch to bring together Nashville music industry executives with Vanderbilt University sports leaders.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/e9oQctx5uGWhTg0cUpyoZw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcwMjtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_tennessean_natl_articles_921\/fa1f7e59f90fb0fef40a8d19bb288987\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>In 1987, ASCAP exec Merlin Littlefield, left, joins then Vanderbilt head football coach Watson Brown in hoisting ASCAP leader Connie Bradley at a lunch to bring together Nashville music industry executives with Vanderbilt University sports leaders.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Grant gathered her guitar, a bottle of expensive champagne and some crystal stemware. She played him a song she&#8217;d just written called &#8220;Threaten Me with Heaven,&#8221; about taking fear out of dying by knowing a beautiful afterlife awaits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Littlefield died soon after.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The last thing he ingested,&#8221; Grant said, &#8220;was Dom P\u00e9rignon while toasting a beautiful life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Nov. 4 gala celebrating Alive Hospice&#8217;s 50th anniversary at the Country Music Hall of Fame &amp; Museum is sold out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Reach Brad Schmitt at <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/mailto:brad@tennessean.com\" data-ylk=\"slk:brad@tennessean.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">brad@tennessean.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/news\/2025\/11\/03\/nashville-amy-grant-alive-hospice-anniversary-gala\/86725203007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Why Amy Grant is hosting Alive Hospice 50th anniversary gala;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Why Amy Grant is hosting Alive Hospice 50th anniversary gala<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Between sold-out arena shows in 1998, Amy Grant sometimes did much smaller gigs. She&#8217;d grab her guitar and sing for dying patients and grieving staff members at a new hospice facility in Nashville. Turns out one of her best friends from high school, Pam Saucier, was a nurse at Alive Hospice. Saucier knew the superstar&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2132734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[405918,336388,405920,405919],"class_list":["post-2132733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-alive-hospice","tag-amy-grant","tag-patients","tag-saucier"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Amy-Grant-to-host-Alive-Hospice-gala-Music-is-great.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2132733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2132735,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132733\/revisions\/2132735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2132734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2132733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2132733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2132733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}