Country Music Stars Bid Farewell to ‘First Lady’ Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette, “the first lady of country music,” was buried Thursday after a funeral attended by some of country’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, who was so upset she couldn’t finish a song.
“Thank you. That’s all I can sing right now,” Parton said after cutting short the gospel tune “Shine On.”
Parton sat in the front row and wiped away tears during the hourlong private ceremony at Judson Baptist Church.
“It’s always hard to lose a family member or friend, and Tammy was both to me. She was like a sister,” Parton told the audience, which included Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Trisha Yearwood, Crystal Gayle, the Oak Ridge Boys and other country stars.
The funeral preceded a public memorial service at Ryman Auditorium, former site of the Grand Ole Opry and a venue at which Wynette performed many times. Hundreds of people stood in line two hours before the ceremony.
Wynette, 55, died Monday at her home of a blood clot in her lungs. She had a long history of health problems.
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