Country music singer Jeannie Seely dies aged 85
Her second husband, Gene Ward, died in December.
In May, Seely revealed that she was in recovery after undergoing multiple back surgeries, two emergency procedures and spending 11 days in the ICU. She also suffered a bout of pneumonia.
'Rehab is pretty tough, but each day is looking brighter and last night, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. And it was neon, so I knew it was mine,' she said in a statement at the time.
'The unsinkable Seely is working her way back.'
Dolly Parton was one of several country music luminaries paying her tribute on Friday, saying she met Seely when they were both young and starting out in Nashville.
'She was one of my dearest friends,' Parton said on her social media accounts.
Jeannie Seely performs at the 2018 medallion ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville (Photo by Al Wagner/Invision/AP)
'I think she was one of the greater singers in Nashville and she had a wonderful sense of humour. We had many wonderful laughs together, cried over certain things together and she will be missed.'
Seely was born in July 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, about two hours north of Pittsburgh and raised in nearby Townville.
Her love of country music was instant; her mother sang, and her father played the banjo. When she was a child, she sang on local radio shows and performed on local television.
She had a number of country hits in the '60s and '70s, including three Top 10 hits on what is now known as Billboard's hot country songs chart: Don't Touch Me; 1967's I'll Love You More (Than You Need); and 1973's Can I Sleep In Your Arms?, adapted from the folk song, Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister?
In the years since, Seely continued to release albums, perform, and host, regularly appearing on country music programming. Her songs are considered classics, and have been recorded by everyone from Merle Haggard, Ray Price and Connie Smith to Ernest Tubb, Grandpa Jones, and Little Jimmy Dickens.
She appeared nearly 5,400 times at the Grand Ole Opry, which she had been a member of since 1967. Grubbs said Saturday's Grand Ole Opry show would be dedicated to Seely.
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Country music icon Jeannie Seely has died
By Published: | Updated: Jeannie Seely, the country music singer best known for her hit song 'Don't Touch Me', has died at 85. Seely died on Friday at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, from complications brought on by an intestinal infection, according to People. Her death follows the loss of her husband Eugene Ward from cancer in December. Following news of Seely's death, her longtime friend Dolly Parton posted a tribute to her on Instagram. 'I have known Jeannie Seely since we were early on in Nashville. She was one of my dearest friends,' Parton wrote. 'I think she was one of the greater singers in Nashville and she had a wonderful sense of humor. We had many wonderful laughs together, cried over certain things together and she will be missed,' the country icon added. Seely had been plagued by health problems since last year, and she announced in May that she had undergone multiple surgeries on her back to repair her vertebrae. The performer also said she had two emergency abdominal surgeries and developed pneumonia during an 11-day stay in the intensive care unit. 'Rehab is pretty tough, but each day is looking brighter and last night, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. And it was neon, so I knew it was mine!' she said at the time. 'The unsinkable Seely is working her way back.' Seely was known for her distinctive soul-inflected vocal delivery, which earned her the nickname 'Miss Country Soul'. Her 1966 single 'Don't Touch Me' became a hit on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart after ascending to number two, and she followed it up with more hits including 'A Wanderin' Man' (1967) and 'I'll Love You More (Than You'll Need)' (1968). All three songs were written by Seely's future husband, Hank Cochran, whom she wed in 1969. The couple separated later in the 1970s, and their divorce was finalized in 1979. Cochran died in 2010 at age 84 from cancer. Seely, who was born in 1940 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, had been singing on the radio for local stations beginning at 11, but she initially pursued work as a stenographer after high school. After setting out west for California's warmer climate, she started working at a bank, only to change course again to get her start in the music industry as a songwriter. Seely collaborated with future stars Randy Newman and Glen Campbell, and songs she wrote were performed by country mainstays including Norma Jean, Dottie West and Connie Smith, among others. She got her chance to record under her own name beginning in 1964. Seely's chart status began to take a dive later in the 1970s, and her injuries from a 1977 car crash — in which she drove her car into a tree, resulting in a fractured jaw, broken ribs and a collapsed lung — kept her off the road and out of the studio for years. During the 1980s, Seely tried her hand at acting with stage roles in the musicals Takin' It Home and The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, as well as the play Everybody Loves Opal. Seely's final song released during her lifetime was a cover of Dottie West's 'Suffertime' from July 2024. The singer holds the distinction of having more Grand Ole Opry appearances than any other musician — with 5,397 — after making her debut in 1966. Seely had been a fan of the Opry's radio show since she was a child, and she became a member of the organization in 1967. 'Actually, I knew at eight years old what I wanted to be,' Seely told People in 2022. 'And I knew I wanted to be at the Opry. I just wanted to know them. I wanted to be a part of that family that I heard every week.' Seely contrasted many of the more conservative outfits worn by female Opry performers by wearing more modern outfits, including jeans and even go-go boots. In 2022, she recalled how her decision to wear a miniskirt on stage caused Opry manager Ott Devine to give her a dressing down. 'I explained that I just moved here from California, and this is what everybody's wearing,' she said. 'I said, "You do know the trend is coming."' Seely recounted telling Devine that she wouldn't wear miniskirts on stage on the condition that he didn't let in any audience members with short skirts, which led him to relent. In 1985, she became the first woman to host the Grand Ole Opry's show, but only because she was on hand as a last-minute fill-in after the scheduled host got caught in a snowstorm. The breakthrough moment was a sign of the Opry's desperation, as the organization had a male-only policy for hosts that wasn't rescinded until 1993. The Grand Ole Opry performance on Saturday, August 2, will be dedicated to Seely.
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a day ago
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Her publicist, Don Murry Grubbs, said she died on Friday after succumbing to complications from an intestinal infection. Known as Miss Country Soul for her unique vocal style, Seely was a trailblazer for women in country music, celebrated for her spirited nonconformity and for a string of undeniable hits in the 1960s and 1970s. Her second husband, Gene Ward, died in December. In May, Seely revealed that she was in recovery after undergoing multiple back surgeries, two emergency procedures and spending 11 days in the ICU. She also suffered a bout of pneumonia. 'Rehab is pretty tough, but each day is looking brighter and last night, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. And it was neon, so I knew it was mine,' she said in a statement at the time. 'The unsinkable Seely is working her way back.' Dolly Parton was one of several country music luminaries paying her tribute on Friday, saying she met Seely when they were both young and starting out in Nashville. 'She was one of my dearest friends,' Parton said on her social media accounts. Jeannie Seely performs at the 2018 medallion ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville (Photo by Al Wagner/Invision/AP) 'I think she was one of the greater singers in Nashville and she had a wonderful sense of humour. We had many wonderful laughs together, cried over certain things together and she will be missed.' Seely was born in July 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, about two hours north of Pittsburgh and raised in nearby Townville. Her love of country music was instant; her mother sang, and her father played the banjo. When she was a child, she sang on local radio shows and performed on local television. She had a number of country hits in the '60s and '70s, including three Top 10 hits on what is now known as Billboard's hot country songs chart: Don't Touch Me; 1967's I'll Love You More (Than You Need); and 1973's Can I Sleep In Your Arms?, adapted from the folk song, Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister? In the years since, Seely continued to release albums, perform, and host, regularly appearing on country music programming. Her songs are considered classics, and have been recorded by everyone from Merle Haggard, Ray Price and Connie Smith to Ernest Tubb, Grandpa Jones, and Little Jimmy Dickens. She appeared nearly 5,400 times at the Grand Ole Opry, which she had been a member of since 1967. Grubbs said Saturday's Grand Ole Opry show would be dedicated to Seely.
