Country Legend Loretta Lynn Has Died

Loretta Lynn passed peacefully in her sleep early this morning, Tuesday, October 4, at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, her family revealed in a statement. The country legend was 90.

Lynn was predeceased by her husband of 48 years Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn, her daughter Betty Sue Lynn, and son Jack Benny Lynn. She is survived by her children Patsy Lynn Russell, Peggy Lynn, Clara (Cissie) Marie Lynn, Ernest Ray Lynn, and 21 grandchildren.

Lynn was the second of eight children born to coal miner Melvin "Ted" Webb and his wife, Clara "Clary" Marie, in 1932. When she was growing up in the gritty mining community of Butcher Hollow—or Butcher Holler, as locals know it—there weren't paved roads, electricity, or cars.

"I was singing when I was born, I think," Lynn told the AP in 2016. "Daddy used to come out on the porch where I would be singing and rocking the babies to sleep. He'd say, 'Loretta, shut that big mouth. People all over this holler can hear you.' And I said, 'Daddy, what difference does it make? They are all my cousins.'"

Lynn already had four children before launching her career in the early 1960s.Her biggest hits came in the 1960s and '70s, including "Coal Miner's Daughter," "You Ain't Woman Enough," "The Pill," "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)," "Rated X," and "You're Looking at Country."

In her six decade career, Lynn was inducted into more music Halls of Fame than any female recording artist. The four-time-Grammy-winner became the first woman to be named the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year in 1972 and sold more than 45 million records worldwide.

"It is not enough to say today that Country Music has lost Loretta Lynn, but rather the world has lost a true music legend," Sarah Trahern, Country Music Association CEO, said in a statement. "Loretta was a woman whose contributions and impact inspired countless artists and transformed the country genre into a universal art form. She was a Country Music Hall of Fame member and the first woman to receive a CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year. As a trailblazing songwriter, she bravely wrote about socially and culturally relevant topics that came to define a generation. I'll personally remember Loretta for her spirit, artistry and genius that rivaled contemporaries like Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney."

Listen to Loretta Lynn's Podcast Episode

Lynn moved to Hurricane Mills in the 1990s. There, fans can visit her sprawling ranch complete with a replica of her childhood home and a museum.

Our hearts go out to the Lynn family and Loretta's legion of devoted fans.