Country music legend Lynn Anderson dies at 67

Williamson County country music star Lynn Anderson, 67, died Thursday, July 30, after a brief illness caused her hospitalization at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Her popularity began to fade during the second half of the 1970s, and in 1980, she released her final recording for Columbia. Over the next four years she would have ten more top twenty country hits before she finally struck gold.

Anderson’s prolific output throughout her 50-year career, and her selfless commitment to assisting young, up-and-coming artists earned her the nickname, “The Great Lady of Country of Country Music”.

She had her first hit single in 1967 with “If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)” and “Promises, Promises”.

In later years Anderson made headlines with a series of run-ins with law enforcement, including drunk driving arrests in 2004 and 2006. Lynn Anderson definitely was the flawless star when it came to her vocal qualities and her attention to keeping up with the fans. “Always continuing to pave the road for those to follow”, Reba McEntire says in a press release. “We will miss her and remember her fondly”, Parton said in a statement.

Speaking about the song, Lynn previously said: “I believe that Rose Garden was released at just the right time”.

Anderson was also an awarded equestrian and horse breeder, and she supported and worked with numerous charities, including the Roundup for Autism and the Cariety Foundation, among others.

Duane Allen of The Oak Ridge Boys also shared similar sentiments.

She is survived by her three children from her marriages to fellow musician Glenn Sutton, from 1968 to 1977, and Louisiana oilman Harold “Spook” Stream III, from 1978 to 1982. Anderson went to Nashville with her mother and met the owner of a small Nashville label, Chart Records. “She sang her way to heaven”.

Bert Herbison, President of the Nashville Songwriters Association, confirmed her passing Friday afternoon.