Jelly Roll’s Tearful Reunion with Life-Saving Hero on Tennessee Charity Trip
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country music star Jelly Roll, known for his raw honesty and redemption story, experienced a heart-wrenching reunion during a charity trip to a remote Tennessee community on June 12, 2025. The Grammy-nominated artist, born Jason DeFord, never imagined that a mission to deliver aid would lead him to cross paths with the man who saved his life over 15 years ago—a moment that left both men in tears and underscored Jelly Roll’s commitment to giving back.
The trip, organized through Jelly Roll’s partnership with Impact Youth Outreach, aimed to provide food, warm clothes, and hope to families in a rural Tennessee county hit hard by recent floods. As heavy rain poured down, Jelly Roll and his team navigated treacherous dirt roads. Disaster struck when their van became mired in mud, stranding them as the storm intensified. With no cell service and growing concern, the group faced a dire situation—until a middle-aged man in a weathered pickup truck appeared, offering to tow them out.
Jelly Roll stepped into the rain to thank the stranger, but froze when he saw the man’s face. It was the same person who, in 2008, had intervened during a life-threatening moment in Jelly Roll’s troubled youth. At 23, DeFord, then battling addiction and fresh from a robbery conviction, had overdosed in a Nashville alley. The man, a local mechanic named Thomas Reed, had found him unresponsive, administered CPR, and called paramedics, saving his life. “I thought he was gone,” Reed later recalled. “But something told me to keep going.”
The reunion was electric. “I owe you everything,” Jelly Roll said, voice breaking, as he embraced Reed. Tears mixed with rain as the two recounted that fateful night. Reed, unaware of DeFord’s rise to fame, was stunned to learn the man he’d saved was now a country music icon. “I just did what anyone would,” Reed said humbly. Jelly Roll disagreed, calling Reed “my guardian angel.”
The charity team, moved by the encounter, rallied to complete their mission. With Reed’s help, they delivered supplies to 50 families, including blankets and meals. Jelly Roll performed an impromptu acoustic set for the community, dedicating his hit “Save Me” to Reed. “This man gave me a second chance,” he told the crowd. “Today’s about paying that forward.” The moment was captured on video, going viral with over 2 million views on Twitter by June 15.
Jelly Roll’s philanthropy is deeply personal. Having spent years in and out of Nashville’s Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, he’s donated over $840,000 to at-risk youth, including $590,000 from his 2023 Backroad Baptism Tour. His recent efforts include funding a new Youth Campus for Empowerment in Nashville, set to open in 2027. “I was a kid who needed saving,” he said. “Meeting Thomas again reminds me why I do this.”
Reed, a father of three, shared that he’s faced hardships, including job loss during the pandemic. In gratitude, Jelly Roll pledged to cover Reed’s mortgage for a year and invited him to his sold-out Bridgestone Arena show in November 2025. “This ain’t just a thank-you,” Jelly Roll said. “It’s family now.”
The reunion has struck a chord with fans, who’ve flooded social media with messages of awe. “Jelly Roll’s heart is pure gold,” tweeted @CountrySoul22. The story, coming amid his push for a Tennessee pardon to ease international travel restrictions, highlights his transformation from a troubled past to a beacon of hope. As he told the parole board in April, “I want to show change is possible.” This tearful encounter proves he’s living that truth.
