Nation music trailblazer and Grand Ole Opry star Jeannie Seely died on Friday (Aug. 1) at Summit Medical Heart in Hermitage, Tenn., as a consequence of problems from an intestinal an infection. She was 85.
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Seely had been battling well being points since final fall and underwent a number of again surgical procedures this spring, in addition to two emergency stomach surgical procedures.
Seely was generally known as a rustic music trailblazer, with songs corresponding to “Can I Sleep in Your Arms” and the Grammy-winning “Don’t Contact Me,” and was often known as a fierce advocate for girls artists and performers.
Seely was born in Titusville, Penn., on July 6, 1940. By age 11, she was singing on a Saturday morning radio present on WMGW, and by 16 she was acting on TV station WICU in Erie, Penn. At 21, she moved California and ultimately landed a job at Liberty and Imperial Information in Hollywood. She started writing songs for 4 Star Music and was a daily alongside Glen Campbell on the TV sequence Hollywood Jamboree. She additionally earned a recording take care of Problem Information.
In 1964, Seely earned probably the most promising feminine artist honor from the Nation and Western Academy (now the Academy of Nation Music). She then moved to Nashville and inked a take care of Monument Information, which launched her signature tune, “Don’t Contact Me,” in 1966.
Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 16, 1967, Seely quickly grew to become the primary lady to frequently host Opry segments. She was additionally a trailblazer when it got here to the picture of ladies nation entertainers, as she was the primary to put on a miniskirt onstage on the Opry. Seely performed her most up-to-date Grand Ole Opry present on Feb. 22 and made extra Grand Ole Opry appearances than every other artist within the present’s 100-year historical past, with 5,397 appearances. In 2022, she was honored when she reached her 5,000th Opry look milestone.
Seely recorded a number of hit duets with Jack Greene, together with “Want I Didn’t Must Miss You,” which reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Sizzling Nation Singles chart in 1970. The duo additionally launched songs together with “A lot Oblige.”
As a lot a songwriter as a performer, Seely noticed her songs recorded by artists together with Dottie West, Merle Haggard, Ray Worth, Connie Smith, Willie Nelson, Ernest Tubb, Irma Thomas, Rhonda Vincent, Chris LeDoux and Moe Bandy.
Along with music, Seely starred in stage productions of At all times, Patsy Cline, The Greatest Little Whorehouse In Texas and May It Be Love, and appeared in Nelson’s movie Honeysuckle Rose (she additionally sang on the movie’s soundtrack).
Seely was a inventive power proper as much as her passing. In 2020, she launched the album An American Basic, a group of collaborations. In 2024, She launched the only “Suffertime.” And in March 2025, Sony Music Publishing Nashville celebrated Seely by releasing reimagined variations of her songs with ascending ladies nation artists, together with Madeline Edwards, Mae Estes, Hannah Dasher and Tiera Kennedy. She additionally labored as a producer for the bluegrass group Cutter & Money and The Kentucky Grass.
On the radio, Seely hosted the Sundays With Seely weekly present on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse channel, along with her most up-to-date episode airing on Sunday (July 27).
Seely’s profession and inventive skills have been acknowledged by quite a few organizations. In 2018, she was inducted into the Music Metropolis Stroll of Fame and earned the primary standing ovation award on the inaugural Influencing Girls Awards Gala in 2019. That yr, Seely was additionally awarded an honorary Physician of Arts from Lincoln Memorial College. In 2023, she was acknowledged with the CMA’s prestigious Joe Talbot Award. In 2024, she was honored by SOURCE with the esteemed Jo Walker-Meador Lifetime Achievement Award (Seely was a daily co-host of SOURCE’s annual awards ceremony alongside Brenda Lee). And in April 2025, SAG-AFTRA’s Studio Area on Music Row was named in Seely’s honor.
Seely is survived by many family and friends members, together with her cat, Corrie. She was preceded in demise by her husband Eugene Ward, who died final yr; her dad and mom Leo and Irene Seely; and her siblings Donald Seely, Bernard Seely and Mary Lou Seely Lang. A memorial service can be introduced.
Tomorrow night time’s Saturday present of the Grand Ole Opry can be devoted to Seely.
“Whereas I’ve had the privilege of working with Jeannie Seely over the previous 25 years, my rapid grief is deeply private. Early in my tenure at CMA, I shared unforgettable lunches with Jeannie and Jo Walker Meador, filled with tales that had been often irreverent however at all times fascinating,” Sarah Tarhern, CEO of the Nation Music Affiliation, mentioned in an announcement. “Jeannie was on the very first Fan Honest with Jack Greene and remained a beloved fixture for many years. She as soon as advised me a hilarious story about switching credentials with Dottie West simply to maintain individuals on their toes. When the CMA Board honored her with the Joe Talbot Award in 2023, it was for greater than her music and fan relationships — it was for her spark. She mentored numerous artists, particularly ladies, and whereas they discovered from her confidence and wit, she reminded us she was studying from them too. That humility was a part of her magic.”