At the age of 85, country music icon and Grand Ole Opry star Jeannie Seely passed away. Due to complications from an intestinal infection, Seely passed away quietly at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, around 5:00 p.m. CT today.
Since last fall, Seely has struggled with health concerns, which worsened in December after her husband, Gene Ward, passed away. This spring, she had two emergency abdomen surgery and several back surgeries to restore her vertebrae.
Seely had performed at the Opry more than any other performer in its 100-year history, with 5,397 shows as of her most recent Grand Ole Opry performance on February 22. This past Sunday, July 27, was the most recent episode of Seely's weekly "Sundays with Seely" show, which she started hosting on Willie's Roadhouse on SiriusXM in 2018. At the time of her passing, Seely was regarded as the oldest female country music performer still in full employment, making her a trailblazer and a legend.
Seely's soul-inspired vocals were hailed by music industry insiders early on, earning her the nickname "Miss Country Soul," which she used for the duration of her seven-decade career. In recognition of her numerous innovative achievements in the music industry, Dr. Jeannie Seely received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Lincoln Memorial University in 2019. Seely was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, on July 6, 1940, and grew up outside of Townville on a farm on a dirt road. When new "Home of Jeannie Seely" signs were placed in Townville one year ago this week, Seely made a comeback to her roots. The Townville Fire Station, where Seely had made his stage debut decades prior, served as the venue for the event.
Seely started listening to the Grand Ole Opry on radio station WSM 650 when she was just tall enough to reach the dial on her family's large Philco console radio. She started singing on a Saturday morning radio show on Meadville station WMGW when she was eleven years old, and by the time she was sixteen, she was doing so on TV station WICU in Erie. Seely got the chance to see and interact with artists such as Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Jean Shepard, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper at Hillbilly Park, which is close to Franklin, Pennsylvania. She never dreamed that she would eventually be on the Grand Ole Opry stage with them.
Seely attended Townville High School as an honor student, cheerleader, and majorette. She also started singing at weekend dances in northwest Pennsylvania and sang at local amateur competitions. Seely worked for three years at the Titusville Trust Company after graduating from high school in 1958. She also attended night classes offered by the American Institute of Banking in Oil City, Pennsylvania, to further her education.
Seely shipped the remainder to "General Delivery, Los Angeles," packed as much as she could into her automobile, and drove west at the age of 21. After a year, she quit her work at a bank in Beverly Hills to take a half-time secretarial job at Hollywood's Liberty and Imperial Records. She got her start in the music industry by writing songs for Four Star Music and appearing frequently on the Hollywood Jamboree television series alongside an unidentified Glen Campbell. Her songwriting earned her a recording deal with Challenge Records, which led to a West Coast tour and a few local singles.
In 1964, Seely was named the "Most Promising Female Artist" by the Country and Western Academy, which subsequently changed its name to the Academy of Country Music. Seely relocated to Nashville and signed with Monument Records a year later, encouraged by friend Dottie West, who had recorded one of her songs. With her number-one single, "Do not Touch Me," Seely became just the third female country music performer to win a Grammy. Seely went on to feature on Billboard's country singles chart for 13 years in a row after winning the Cashbox, Record World, and Billboard "Most Promising New Artist" honors.
Seely became a member of the renowned Grand Ole Opry on September 16, 1967. She was the first person from Pennsylvania to join the Opry and the first woman to host Opry programs on a regular basis. Seely, who was the first to wear a miniskirt on the Opry stage, is widely credited with transforming the perception of female country performers. She developed one of the most successful traveling performances and duets in the history of country music with fellow Opry member Jack Greene. Seely was recognized by the Grand Ole Opry in 2022 for her more than 5,000 appearances, a record that is probably here to stay.
Seely, a BMI-awarded songwriter, had songs recorded by artists such as Irma Thomas (the “Soul Queen of New Orleans”), Rhonda Vincent (the “Queen of Bluegrass”), Chris LeDoux, Moe Bandy, Boys II Men, Seal, and members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, including Dottie West, Merle Haggard, Connie Smith, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Faron Young, Ernest Tubb, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Hank Williams Jr. Seely won "Song of the Year" at the 2022 Arkansas Country Music Awards for her song "Yours."
Seely was the star of major stage productions such as Always, Patsy Cline, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Could It Be Love, and several others. She also published her own book, Pieces Of A Puzzled Mind, and worked as a radio disc jockey on her own Armed Forces Network. She also went on military tours in Europe and Asia. From her Top 10 Billboard album The Seely Style to her Curb Records album An American Classic, which features her third duet with buddy Willie Nelson, Seely's recordings span seven decades. Seely sung on the platinum soundtrack record and starred in Nelson's film Honeysuckle Rose.
Seely, who represents various musical genres, was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame in 2018. Seely received the first "Standing Ovation Award" at the Inaugural Influencing Women Awards Gala in 2019, and her name was later added to the annual award. At the Nashville Women in Film & Television WIFT ALICE Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner in 2022, Seely was honored with the Legacy Award. Seely got recognition on the nationally broadcast Country Music Association (CMA) Awards Show in 2022, the coveted Joe Talbot Award from the CMA in 2023, and the renowned Jo Walker-Meador Lifetime Achievement Award from SOURCE in 2024.
Seely set a new record as the vocalist with the greatest interval (60 years) between recording sessions at the storied RCA Studio B on Music Row with the publication of her single "Suffertime" in 2024, which was accompanied by a music video and a brief documentary. The "Jeannie Seely Interchange" was dedicated at the Briley Parkway exit to the Grand Ole Opry House after Seely's 5,381st performance on the Grand Ole Opry in September 2024. During Women's History Month in March 2025, Sony Music Publishing Nashville honored Seely by publishing three redesigned versions of her songs as joint ventures with up-and-coming female musicians.
Seely viewed her installation in person in November after it was added to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent exhibit, "Sing Me Back Home," on the second floor in late 2024. A special exhibit in the museum's concourse to the Omni Hotel also features Seely's award from the Billboard Most Promising Female Vocalist Award.
On March 1, 2025, Seely made her final public appearance at the renamed opening of the Legends of Country Music Museum in Nashville's Music Valley neighborhood. The building's front features her portrait, and an upgraded exhibit inside pays tribute to her. Seely was supposed to be present at the official dedication of the Studio Space at the SAG-AFTRA office on Music Row, which was dedicated in her honor in April 2025. Seely was proud to have been the producer of the bluegrass bands Cutter & Cash and The Kentucky Grass until her death, and she was preparing to produce their upcoming recording session.
Seely led initiatives throughout her career to promote and strengthen the roles of artists, musicians, and songwriters in the music business, particularly opening doors for later female musicians. Seely made connections with musicians, artists, composers, and industry professionals from various ages and backgrounds, which helped to foster a sense of friendship and camaraderie at the Grand Ole Opry and in whatever music circle she joined.
Seely's special cat, Corrie, as well as many friends and family members survive her. Her siblings Donald Seely, Bernard Seely, and Mary Lou Seely Lang died before her, along with her husband Gene Ward and parents Leo and Irene Seely.
In the days ahead, a memorial ceremony will be announced. The Grand Ole Opry will honor Seely tomorrow night.
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