As one of country music’s greatest legends, it’s understandable why fans have questions over how Loretta Lynn died and what her cause of death was when she passed.
Loretta, whose maiden name is Webb, was born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, on April 14, 1932. She was the eldest daughter and second eldest child of six kids. Her father was a farmer and coal miner. She released her first single “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl” in 1960 followed by her debut album, Loretta Lynn Sings, in 1963. Throughout her six decades in country music, Loretta went on to release multiple bestselling albums and singles, including “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)”, “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)”, “One’s on the Way”, “Fist City”, and “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Her memoir, Coal Miner’s Daughter, was also made into a movie of the same name in 1980. The film, which starred Sissy Spacek as Loretta, went on to receive seven Oscar nominations at the 53rd Academy Awards, including for Best Picture. Spacek also won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance as Loretta.
Throughout her career, Loretta won three Grammy Awards of 18 nominations, scored 24 number-one hit single and 11 number-one albums, and was named the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade. Four years before her death, Loretta was presented with the Artist of a Lifetime award at CMT Artists of the Year ceremony in 2018. “I don’t have nothing to prove but I have stuff I want to do,” she told People at the time. “And my fans want me to do it too. My fans are out there with me saying, ‘Do it Loretta. Do it.’”
After more than 60 years in country music, Loretta Lynn died on the morning of October 4, 2022, at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. She was 90 years old. “So sorry to hear about my sister, friend Loretta. We’ve been like sisters all the years we’ve been in Nashville and she was a wonderful human being, wonderful talent, had millions of fans and I’m one of them. I miss her dearly as we all will May she rest in peace,” her friend and frequent collaborator Dolly Parton wrote in an Instagram post at the time. So how did Loretta Lynn die and what was her cause of death? Read on for what we know about how Loretta Lynn died and what her health was like before she passed.
