Country music icon Jeannie Seely has died.
She was 85.
According to multiple reports, Seely, a native of Titusville, Pennsylvania, died on Friday at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee due to complications from an intestinal infection.
A legend on the Grand Ole Opry stage, Seely revealed to People Magazine back in May that she had dealt with multiple health issues this year.
“Over the past several weeks, I’ve received so many wonderful messages of love and concern about being missed on the Grand Ole Opry and on ‘Sundays with Seely’ on Willie’s Roadhouse,” she told People then. “Thank you for those, and I assure you that I miss you just as much! Hopefully I can count on that support as I struggle through this recovery process from multiple back surgeries in March, as well as two emergency abdominal surgeries in April, followed by eleven days in the intensive care unit and a bout with pneumonia.”
Seely told People she was still focused on the future and even planned to release new music. She told the outlet she also planned to return to her SiriusXM show as well as the Grand Ole Opry stage.
“Rehab is pretty tough but each day is looking brighter and last night, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “And it was neon, so I knew it was mine!
“The unsinkable Seely is working her way back.”
Seely was also hospitalized last year for dehydration and diverticulitis while on a trip to Pa. And, her husband, Eugene Ward, died at the age of 92 in December.
Her love for the Grand Ole Opry began at a young age when her family would gather around the radio to listen to the shows on Saturday nights.
“I knew at 8 years old what I wanted to be,” she told People back in 2022. “And I knew I wanted to be at the Opry.”
“It is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to a true icon to us here at the Opry, Mrs. Jeannie Seely,” the Opry shared on X Friday. “Jeannie is the definition of a mentor and dear friend to many in the country music community. She fist appeared at the Opry in 1966 and while it was her first time being shoulder to shoulder with some of her heroes, she officially joined our family the next year in 1967 and has stood on that stage ever since with a special grace, sass, style, and of course — her wit and humor to top it all off.
“Having performed at the Grand Ole Opry mor than any other artists in history, 5,397 times to be exact, there’s no doubt this place was home to her,” the statement continued. “In her 57 years as an Opry member, she is recognized for changing the image of female country performers with her bold fashion statements, championed efforts to support and enhance women’s roles in the music industry and was quite proud to be the first female to host a segment of the Opry. Beyond the Opry, she became the third female artists to win a Grammy and penned chart-topping hits for herself and many others. She also regularly hosted ‘Sundays with Seely’ on Willie’s Roadhouse on Sirius XM.
“Your legacy will always live on here at the Opry House, ‘Miss Country Soul.’ We will miss you dearly.”
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