U.S. country music legend Loretta Lynn passed away today at 90, and there have been no shortage of touching tributes for the groundbreaking artist.
The great and the good of country, and the music community as a whole, have voiced their love and adoration for Lynn, who became beloved for hits such as ‘One’s On the Way’, ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’, and ‘Fist City’.
“We’ve been like sisters all the years we’ve been in Nashville and she was a wonderful human being, wonderful talent, had millions of fans and I’m one of them. I miss her dearly as we all will. May she rest in peace,” Lynn’s fellow country music icon Dolly Parton said in a social media post.
“She was an inspiration,” Carole King wrote. “It’s safe to say I wouldn’t even be making country music today if it weren’t for Loretta Lynn,” Margo Price insisted. “Joyous. Fierce. One of a kind. I loved meeting and working with Loretta Lynn,” wrote k.d. lang.
Jack White posted a tender video tribute to the late star, calling Lynn “a mother figure” and “the greatest female singer-songwriter of the 20th century.”
Tributes also came from figures outside of music. “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,” hailed Sissy Spacek (as per Deadline), who earned an Oscar for playing Lynn in the 1980 film Coal Miner’s Daughter.
Dan Rather wrote that Lynn was “a storyteller who used song to channel an America that is quickly vanishing.” As another journalist, Eric Alper, was keen to point out, Lynn “had more songs banned from radio than every other male country artist combined in the 20th century,” highlighting her fearless artistic streak.
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It’s safe to say I wouldn’t even be making country music today if it weren’t for Loretta Lynn. She showed me up what it looked like to be a musician and a mama. Her writing was as real as the day is long. This one hurts on another level. I’ll miss her forever. pic.twitter.com/xpQZwp4TnB
— Margo Price (@MissMargoPrice) October 4, 2022
Loretta Lynn ♥️ A pioneering daughter that changed music and the world forever for all the daughters that followed. We’ll miss you but your spirit lives on! #thepill #forher pic.twitter.com/9XTPwLkVru
— The Chicks (@thechicks) October 4, 2022
My heart is broken with the news of my sweet friend Loretta Lynn passing. I will remember all the sweet visits and laughs we shared. RIP sweet Angel. pic.twitter.com/X5IqiD63an
— Stella Parton (@StellaParton) October 4, 2022
Thank you for always being that friend we could count on, Loretta Lynn. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/QAlcZrZnNr
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) October 4, 2022
News hits hard with the passing of Loretta Lynn. Her evocative music. Her fierce spirit. A storyteller who used song to channel an America that is quickly vanishing. She was a coal miner's daughter who sparkled like a diamond — brilliant, unbreakable, and resplendent.
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) October 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/tnwhiskeywoman/status/1577309290867703818?s=21
https://twitter.com/thatericalper/status/1577318761081839617?s=21
She was an inspiration.
R.I.P. Loretta Lynn ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VqwmkcOAqy— Carole King (@Carole_King) October 4, 2022