Country Star Loretta Lynn: Her Life, Career & Cause Of Death

Loretta Lynn, born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1932, in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, was the eldest of six children. Raised in a family where her father balanced farming and coal mining, Loretta debuted in 1960 with her single. Over her six-decade career in country music, Lynn achieved numerous hits, including "You Ain’t Woman Enough," "Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin'," "One’s on the Way," "Fist City," and "Coal Miner’s Daughter."

Loretta Lynn said she got married at 13 to Oliver Lynn, known as Doo, in 1948. By the time she was 18, she had four kids. However, new documents suggest she was 15 when she got married. They moved to Washington state in the 1950s, where her music career started. On her 24th birthday, Doo gave her a $17 guitar, and she taught herself to play. She began performing at radio stations and got a recording contract in 1960 with her song "I'm a Honky-Tonk Girl."

Loretta's memoir, 'Coal Miner’s Daughter,' was adapted into a film in 1980, starring Sissy Spacek as Loretta. The movie received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and Spacek won Best Actress for her portrayal.

During her career, Loretta won three Grammy Awards out of 18 nominations, achieved 24 number-one hit singles and 11 number-one albums, and was honored as the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade.

Loretta and her husband toured to promote her music before making Nashville their home. Their relationship faced challenges due to his drinking, her drug use, and occasional fights between them. Loretta paused her career for five years to care for him until his passing in 1996. Coping with his death was difficult for her.

In 2003, Loretta Lynn was honored by the Kennedy Center for her contributions to American culture. She received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and, in 2013, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In May 2017, Loretta Lynn had a stroke shortly after celebrating her 85th birthday with two nights of performances at the Grand Ole Opry's Ryman Auditorium. Additionally, she suffered a broken hip in January 2018.

Four years prior to her passing, she received the Artist of a Lifetime award at the 2018 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony. Reflecting on her journey, she remarked to People, “I don’t have anything to prove, but I have things I want to do, and my fans want me to do them too. They’re out there with me, saying, ‘Do it, Loretta. Do it.’”

After her stroke, Loretta worked hard in therapy to move her left side again. She also had trouble with hearing and timing when she started singing again. But she stayed positive and surprised people with her progress, saying, “I’m doing good, I’m moving my arms, I’m moving all my parts, and I can still sing.”

Loretta Lynn passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of October 4, 2022, at the age of 90. She died at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, a town located 70 miles west of Nashville. Her family announced her passing, stating, “Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, Oct. 4, in her sleep at home in her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills.”