Loretta Lynn believes country music is officially dead

Country music is dead, and Loretta Lynn believes its a damn shame that we have let it die.

Loretta Lynn, country music legend, who has unfortunately had a few brushes with death herself in recent years, has in recent months been returning back to the spotlight as her health returns. Just last year in Nashville, she was honoured with an all-star tribute concert in Nashville. And now, as the Tennesseean points out, she’s gone on Martina McBride’s Vocal Point podcast to reveal her thoughts on the genre she calls home.

“I think it’s dead,” Lynn said on the podcast, which went online Thursday. “I think it’s a shame. I think it’s a shame to let a type of music die. I don’t care what any kind of music it is. Rock, country, whatever. I think it’s a shame to let it die, and I’m here to start feeding it.” Lynn went on to call country music “a sad situation.”

Listen to ‘As Soon As I Hang Up the Phone’ by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty

Lynn’s comments, of course, elicited a range of strong reactions, so she issued a clarifying statement on Facebook later in the day:

Well, it seems I made a big stir with this one! This story is from my chat with my sweet friend Martina McBride on her new podcast, Vocal Point. Y’all know I say what I think when I think it! I love country music and I’m so proud of the rich heritage of our kind of music. Real country tells our stories, comes from our hearts, and gets us through life. My main point to Martina is that there’s such a hard push to crossover and change it up, and do something new that we can lose what country music really is all about. I like it country–pure, simple, and real! I am so proud of all the artists out there, especially the younger ones, who know what I mean and are still keeping it country. When you love something you can’t just stand by quietly if you think it’s in danger. One thing’s for sure, if we keep it country, the fans will keep on listening, I know in my heart that it’s what they want!

You can see the clarification Facebook post below.