We at the SFC were very sad to hear the news of Loretta Lynn’s death on October 4th.
A statement from the family of Loretta Lynn.
"Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, October 4th, in her sleep at home at her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills.” The family of Loretta Lynn.
— Loretta Lynn (@LorettaLynn) October 4, 2022
To celebrate and remember the Queen of Country we wanted to highlight some items throughout the Southern Folklife Collection.
You can revisit Aaron Smithers’ post from 2013, featuring excerpts from an interview Lynn gave to Jack Bernhardt in 2001, which is part of the Jack Bernhardt Papers Collection (#20061).
The SFC holds a number of items related to Loretta Lynn so, in memory, here is a sampling of some of the photographs throughout our collection.
From the John Edwards Memorial Foundation Collection:
From the Russell D. Barnard Country Music Magazine Photograph Collection:
From the Southern Folklife Collection Artist Name Files Collection:
Also recommended is the Loretta Lynn episode of Tyler Mahan Coe’s Cocaine & Rhinestones podcast, focusing on “The Pill.”
And for something a little different, who could forget her visit to Sesame Street for this moving duet with Count.
Rest in peace to the Coal Miner’s Daughter.