Loretta Lynn, Country Music Legend and ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ Memoirist, Dead at 90

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Loretta Lynn has died at age 90.

The country music star passed away at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee per the Associated Press. Lynn’s memoir and life story was previously adapted into the Oscar-winning 1980 film “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” directed by Michael Apted and starring Sissy Spacek as Lynn.

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Deemed as one of the best musical biopics, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” starred Spacek as Lynn, with Tommy Lee Jones as her husband Doolittle Lynn. Beverly D’Angelo played Patsy Cline. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Spacek won the Best Actress Oscar.

“Today is a sad day,” Spacek said, via Deadline. “The world lost a magnificent human being. Loretta Lynn was a great artist, a strong and resilient country music pioneer and a precious friend. I am heartbroken. I send my deepest sympathies to her wonderful family, her friends, and her loyal fans.”

Spacek was selected by Lynn to portray her in the acclaimed adaptation of her biography. Lynn encouraged Spacek to sing in the film as opposed to lip-sync her scenes.

“I’m a Honky Tonk Girl” crooner Lynn was later inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988 and is survived by her sister and fellow country star Crystal Gayle. Lynn formerly suffered a stroke in 2017, which ended her touring career after collaborating with Jack White of The White Stripes starting in 2004.

Throughout her career, Lynn landed 16 No. 1 country singles and won three Grammy Awards. Lynn penned most of her own songs and sang feminist ballads, undercutting the previously male-dominated country music scene. The mother of six, Lynn signed to her first major label Decca Records in 1961. Her most beloved songs include “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” “What Kind of a Girl (Do You Think I Am?),” and “Your Squaw Is on the Warpath.”

Lynn took a stance on women’s healthcare in 1975 with song “The Pill.”

Hits like “Blue Kentucky Girl” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter” also became semi-autobiographical ballads for Lynn. Her biggest solo hit came in 1971 with “One’s On the Way,” leading to a collaboration with Conway Twitty for famed “After the Fire Is Gone” among more than a dozen other top 10 country singles.

More to come…

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