Loretta Lynn was scheduled to appear at last week’s CMT Artists of the Year celebration in which she was to receive the Artist of a Lifetime Award. But, the legendary vocalist had to back out at the last moment due to illness.
Sissy Spacek, who portrayed Lynn in the movie memoir Coal Miner’s Daughter, fought tears as she accepted the award on Lynn’s behalf during the event that honored some of country music’s greatest female artists.
“I loved playing Loretta in Coal Miner’s Daughter. I just loved being her. I had the band, I had the bus, I had the clothes. But I think we can all agree, there’s only one Loretta Lynn,” she said. “She’s so sorry she couldn’t be here tonight. She’s a little under the weather. I saw her earlier today, and she was so excited about this award.”
“From the moment we met, she’s been my cheerleader, my sister, my best friend,” Spacek said as she fought back tears. “And it’s still like that almost 40 years later. It’s my honor to accept her award. Well done, Loretta. Well done.”
Until today (October 20), it was unclear exactly what illness had kept Loretta Lynn from attending the event. Fans were concerned as the 86-year old legend has suffered numerous setbacks in the last couple of years. In May 2017 she suffered a stroke and broke her hip in early 2018. But, Lynn didn’t let the struggles stop her from doing what she loves to do: Sing.
“I wasn’t goin’ to let it stop me. You just can’t sit down and say ‘Hey, take me,'” Lynn told PEOPLE. “It’s a very scary thing when you find out you’re havin’ a stroke. I wondered if I could sing. Mommy said I was born singin’. That’s all I’ve ever done. I couldn’t believe that that could be taken away.”
Thankfully, Lynn’s voice was unaffected but her left side was. Through intense physical therapy and sheer determination, Lynn made great strides toward a full recovery.
According to a post made to Facebook by Lynn’s daughter on Saturday (October 20), Loretta’s most recent health struggle was a “horrible stomach flu.” And a post made to Loretta’s social media accounts confirms that the singer is at home after a brief hospitalization and is resting.
https://www.facebook.com/peggy.l.marchetti/posts/10155600483346384
https://www.facebook.com/LorettaLynnOfficial/posts/10156766924838523
We wish Loretta a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back on stage soon.