Loretta Lynn, also known as the Queen of Country, was an iconic country singer with a career that spanned over six decades. She passed away on October 4, 2022, at the age of 90.
Lynn, who was born Loretta Webb, was the second oldest out of eight children. Her youngest sister is Crystal Gayle, another well-known country singer.
Lynn married Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn in 1948 at the ripe age of 15. Doolittle was 21 at the time of their nuptials. The couple brought six children into the world, four of them were born within four years – 1948 to 1952. Then, they gave birth to a set of twins in 1964.
Lynn and Doolittle were married almost 50 years until his death in 1996. Even though they were married for almost half of a decade, she often spoke about their tumultuous relationship in interviews.
She said that there was never a time he didn’t hit her that she didn’t “hit him back twice.” She said she stayed with him because of how much he believed in her. He never let her forget that she was something special, and that was “hard to shove out the door.”
The singer, whose career boasts 41 number one singles, and 45 million singles sold, began her career in the late 50s. In a sense, Lynn was discovered by Buck Owens, another country music icon. Lynn won a wristwatch in a televised talent contest in Tacoma, Washington. Her performance touched Norm Burley of Zero Records, and she signed her first contract in February 1960.
Lynn’s first number one came in the form of “Don’t come home a-drinkin’ (with lovin’ on your mind).” It also became one of the first album by a woman to reach over 500,000 in sales.
Between 1971 and 1975, Lynn partnered up with Conway Twitty to put out multiple duets. The pair was named Vocal Duo of the Year for four years straight.
There was even a movie called “Coal Miner’s Daughter” that told Lynn’s life story. Sissy Spacek played the iconic role.
Lynn never let her age and various health issues get her down. She had a stroke in 2017, then followed that up with the release of her album, Wouldn’t it be great. She was named the CMT Artist of a Lifetime in 2018.
She released her 50th and final studio album in March 2021. Still woman enough included songs with Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Tanya Tucker. The Queen of Country was a class act all the way till the end.