Welcome back to Country Music 4 Ever! Country music legend Jeannie Seely passed away on Friday in Hermitage, Tennessee, due to complications from an intestinal infection. She was 85 years old.

Jeannie was not only a country music legend but also a Grand Ole Opry legend, performing on the show 5,397 times, which is more than any other artists in Opry history. Today I want to discuss her career and impact on country music.

She was born Marilyn Jeanne Seely on July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania. As a child, Jeannie would sit in her family’s Ford, eating popcorn and drinking soda pop, listening to the Grand Ole Opry while her parents played cards at a friend’s house.

By age 11, Jeannie began performing on a local radio show and later began appearing on a TV show in Erie, Pennsylvania, standing on top of soda cases because she was too short to reach the microphone.

When she was 21, she packed up everything she had and moved to Los Angeles, California, with three girlfriends, where she began working as a radio DJ and writing songs for Four Star Music.

While passing through town, songwriter Hank Cochran encouraged Jeannie to take her talents to Nashville. So, she unexpectedly showed up and said to Hank, “Well, I’m here! Do you still want to work with me?” Soon after, she released her first single, “Don’t Touch Me,” which went all the way to number one.

Jeannie made her Grand Ole Opry debut on May 28, 1966, and became a member on September 16, 1967. She made her final appearance on February 22, 2025. She then began having health issues that had her in and out of the hospital, and unfortunately she never returned to the Opry stage.

Jeannie left such a lasting impact on the country music community that so many artists have posted emotional tributes to her in the last few days. Artists such as Carly Pearce, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Erin Enderlin, and many others have shared memories of Jeannie, calling her things like their biggest mentor, their dearest friend, the greatest singer in Nashville, an opinionated team player, an incredible writer and producer, and even a little spitfire. I think these things sum up the kind of person Jeannie was. She will be missed by many people.Thanks for reading. I’ll be back soon!