A public Celebration of Life has been announced for Grand Ole Opry star and country music legend Jeannie Seely. The special event honoring the late GRAMMY winner is titled “Jeannie Seely’s 5,398th Opry Show” and will take place on Thursday, August 14 at 10:00 a.m. / CT at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. The service will be broadcast live on 650 AM WSM. It will also be available for livestream here.
Seely passed away Friday, August 1 from complications of an intestinal infection. She was 85. Seely had battled health issues since last fall which escalated in December following the passing of her husband, Gene Ward. She had undergone multiple back surgeries this spring for vertebrae repairs, as well as two emergency abdominal surgeries.
Holding the record for the most Opry appearances in history, Seely banked a total of 5,397 performances before her death.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Seely’s name are suggested to a charitable organization that benefits pets and/or to the Opry Trust Fund (opry.com/about/opry-trust-fund).
Today, several of Seely’s musical colleagues issued the following statements after the news of her passing:
“I’d be honored to have her sing any of my songs!”
-Randy Owen / ALABAMA
“Jeannie Seely was a Superstar. One of the great female voices in country music. She held the record for Grand Ole Opry performances, one that may never ever be broken. We’re all saddened by her passing and we will certainly miss her. She was a friend to so many and if you ever met her once she never forgot you. That’s rare these days in the fast-paced world we live in. But she wasn’t from this time, she was from the ‘Good Ole School’ days when people had to remember your name, before we could write it down on our iPhones. She was a great encourager. She always welcomed new visiting artists who were so nervous getting to play the Grand Ole Opry for the first time. She could make those butterflies in your stomach stop flapping their wings and bring some peace instead of fear. Not many like her anymore. I don’t know if she will ever be replaced, but we as members of the Opry can take Jeannie’s lead and be an encouragement to these younger ones when we see an opportunity. They need it and we can do it! Thank you Jeannie for a lifetime of good works and great music. Love you.” -Ricky Skaggs
“I admired Jeannie, and she was a great talent and a wonderful person. She will be dearly missed in country music.” -John Anderson
“She was a unique artist and one of the best. One of the good ones. She will be missed.”
-Ray Stevens
“We value our older entertainers so greatly as human bridges to another era in our industry. Jeannie was yet another female artist who came up at a time that wasn’t easy for women. But she had the sass and grit, cool and wit, talent and intelligence. And she knew how to command a stage. I know all of her Opry family respected that about her, and she made her mark on country music. Oh, and in case you missed it the first time, she was cool!”
-Pam Tillis
“Jeannie, her friends called her ‘Stick’,’ was Janis’ and my oldest friend still alive in Nashville. We met her our first night in Nashville in June of 71 when another late great singer-songwriter, Dottie West, took us to Jeannie and Hank Cochran’s boat. From that night ‘Stick’ was my friend, my champion and an inspiration to me. I miss her already, but I believe that she’s in heaven having a good old time with Dottie, Roger, Micky, Kris, Jack, Hank, Waylon and, as the saying goes, many others. In 2 Corinthians 5:8, the Bible says, ‘To be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord. ‘Stick,’ I’ll see you when I do. Rest in Peace old friend. P.S. Janis and Steve and Rudy all say ditto and HALLELUJAH!”
-Larry Gatlin / The Gatlin Brothers
“Jeannie Seely is, was, and will always be the part of country music that proved hillbilly met elegance. She will be missed. Rest in peace our friend and sister.”
-Marty Raybon / Shenandoah
“We lost another country music legend. Jeannie Seely was a dear friend who was always so nice to me since my first time on the Grand Ole Opry. She would call me just to see how I was doing and talk a while. I will sure miss her voice.” -Mark Chesnutt
“Jeannie was a very dear friend and a very special lady. She was the first one to ever introduce me on the Grand Ole Opry. She and I shared a lot of laughs and guitar town will never be the same without her. My heart hit the floor when I heard the news, and she will be missed. But, I don’t think she left anything on the table. I know where she is and we will laugh some more when I get there with her.” -Darryl Worley
“Jeannie was a great singer and a great person. She was always so sweet to me. They just won’t ever make them like that anymore. God bless her.” -Sammy Kershaw
“There are no words to describe the depth of sadness that we all are feeling. The Opry will never be the same without our wonderful friend, the great Jeannie Seely.” -Deborah Allen
“Jeannie Seely was real raw honesty mixed with beautiful strength to show a vulnerability that made her the sexiest female country singer I’ve ever known. We were all in love with her.”
-Billy Dean
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