It was around this time that Cline met and married her second and final husband, Charlie Dick, with whom she had two children. 1 single in 1961. And her single "Crazy" is one of the most played jukebox songs of all time. After high school, he served in the US Army and upon his discharge, he. Marty Thomas & DIVA (@martysdivas) June 1, 2012. Patsy Cline, who had met him at a dance, once called him "hurricane in pants." Their relationship was full of love and arguments, even though Charlie Dick would recall that the arguments were short-lived. Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits, released four years after her death, is one of the all-time best-selling country records by a female artist. The country singer Patsy Cline died at the age of 30. Ginny moved with her mother and two siblings to a blue-collar neighborhood in Winchester, Virginia, into a house without running water or electricity. When the plane carrying country stars including singer, Patsy Cline, went down on Mar. Consider the words used to describe her icon, trailblazer, a lady of firsts. 5 on the Billboard country chart. The singer's career was nearly derailed by a terrible car crash that took place on June 14, 1961, when she and her brother Sam were involved in a head-on collision in Nashville that threw Cline into the windshield. She laid down four records with Four Star, all while struggling to pay her bills. Some say that she's gotten her due as one of America's. If thats wrong, Im sorry, she concluded. She matched lipstick with pants and cowboy boots, and became the first woman to wear pants on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. In a letter to a friend, she wrote: "It's wonderful but what do I do for '63? Hensleydrew on those hardships instead and even turned her first brush with death into a musical advantage. The most popular female country singer in recording history, Patsy Cline achieved icon status after her tragic early death at age thirty in 1963. While the story of her death is well known to many music fans, some of the other stories arent. The plane crashed just outside of Camden, Tennessee, pilot inexperience and weather conditions the cause. Tragic. Eventually, she developed a good style.". Today, "Ginny" is more famously known as Patsy Cline. She was just beautiful. The death of Patsy Cline shocked the music world. They flew right into a thunderstorm and crashed. Patsy Cline was the perfect picture of a rural, blue-collar country music singer. At 29 years old, with a successful career and several hits climbing the charts, Patsy Cline was almost killed in a head-on car collision. Patsy didnt expect she would live much longer. He said, Two or three men dug the engine out of the ground and carried it off.. ", The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Patsy Cline, Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It was her way or not at all. Country Singers Who Died in Plane Crashes, NEXT: Country Stars Who've Suffered Tragedy, Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers Among Worlds Top Old-School Country Artists, Study Finds, 15 Country Legends Who Deserve to Be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Patsy Clines Nashville Dream Home Sells See Inside! The tragic and untimely death of Patsy Cline was devastating to the country music genre, as well as fans across America. Hensley died from natural causes in 1998. Women Musicians, Artists, and Writers, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patsy-Cline, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Biography of Patsy Cline, Famous Singers - Biography of Patsy Cline, Encyclopedia Virginia - Patsy Cline (19321963), Patsy Cline - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Unfortunately, the crash was reportedly due to. Even decades after her untimely death,Patsy Clineremains a country music icon. Cline's manager Randy Hughes and fellow Grand Ole Opry stars Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas all lost their lives in the crash as well. Cline scored her first hit, "Walkin' After Midnight," in 1957 after two years of releasing records that did not chart. No one, that is, except for Cline herself. It's getting so even Cline can't follow Cline. At 13, she suffered a serious throat infection and was diagnosed with rheumatic fever. The moment Patsy Clines plane crash killed her was recorded on her wristwatch which stopped at 6:20 PM, on March 5, 1963. He was also married and had three children. This is thetragic real-life story of Patsy Cline. I walked out and watched the shows, and I will never forget that gorgeous white chiffon dress she wore, Dottie later revealed in the video biography The Real Patsy Cline. I thought, My God! There, Cline closed the show with some of her hits including "She's Got You," "Sweet Dreams," "Crazy," and "I Fall to Pieces." That kind of negativity failed to deter. and directed his attention in the direction of the sounds. Patsy Cline was one of the fastest rising stars in country music when her life was tragically cut short on March 5, 1963. See Kris Kristofferson Reunite With Johnny Cashs. In 1973, ten years after Patsy died, she became the first female solo artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Just over 30 years later, Patsy tragically perished in a plane crash in Camden, Tennessee. Patsy Cline was one of the fastest rising stars in country music when her life was tragically cut short on March 5, 1963. After that, he heard the crash. Determined to continue her career, Cline was back onstage at theGrand Ole Opryshortly afterward,performing on crutches, according to the PBS programAmerican Masters. At the time, Cline was just 28 years old, but she seemed to have an eerie sense of what was to come. You might say it was my return to the living after several days that launched me as a singer.". All the while, she kept her sights on Nashville, and Gerald kept his eyes on making a home. 381K views 1 year ago Patsy Cline sadly left us at the young age of 30. Instead, she settled into life with Charlie Dick, who had returned from the Army in 1959, and their daughter. The weather at Camden was reported as, "Ceiling 500 feet, visibility 5 miles.". Country Singer. She kept her surname as her stage name. "It seemed like every time Patsy tried to stand up someone tried to knock her back down," country singer Bill Anderson, a contemporary of Cline's, told CBS News. It instantly killed everyone on board, and the wreckage was only found the next morning. Age of Death. In 1954, Cline signed with Four Star Records, an independent label owned by William McCall, a talent scout with a "spotty reputation." It only takes one mutated gene to cause a genetic disease. No further contact was made after takeoff. Cline declined, saying, Dont worry about me, Hoss. They were about 90 miles from their destination. Omissions? Before Patsy Clines death, she wondered how she could possibly top her successes of 1962, when she had been named Top Country Female Singer by the music vendors of America and Music Reporter dubbed her Star of the Year., Its wonderful, Cline wrote to a friend. And that wasn't fair to me. Patsy Clines Death on March 5, 1963, was a tragic day for the country music community. The emergency responders knew there was no chance for finding any survivors. ", On March 3, 1963, Cline flew to Kansas City with her manager (the pilot) and two other country artists to perform at a fundraiser. Aviation Accident And Incident. Any questionable areas are contained in brackets [ ]. The pilot received a thorough weather briefing based on She never knew a note of music, Clines mother later said. She was back to performing just weeks later, and actually recorded her now-timeless hit, Crazy, while on crutches. Cline grew up as Virginia Patterson Hensley in Virginia in the 1930s. He was a young police dispatcher then and remembered receiving a call from a farmer reporting the accident. Inspection And then, in 1961, she had her second brush with death just months after giving birth to her son. Following her final performance, Cline returned to the Town House Motor Hotel in Kansas City. Her manager, Bill Peer, gave her the name "Patsy" from her middle name. Godfrey required that only professional scouts not family bring talent to him to perform on the show, according to PBS' American Masters. of the wreckage disclosed that the aircraft was intact and the engine was developing substantial power at initial impact ", They married in 1957, and later that year, Dick was drafted into the Army. Since her death in 1963 at age 30 in a private airplane crash at the height of her career, she has been . Patsy Cline's appearance on Talent Scouts put her name out into the world and broadcast her sound into millions of homes. A little lie got her there. Sam could barely provide his family with running water or an indoor toilet, yet a radio was always a staple and sometimes even a piano, according to the Baltimore Sun. This near-death experience of Clines is one you may be a bit more familiar with, as it has been talked about more often. The iconic country singer died in a plane crash while flying back to Nashville from a show in Kansas City, Kansas. The body of Charles H. Holley was clothed in an outer jacket of yellow leather-like material in which 4 seams in the back were split almost full length. Patsys father abandoned the family when the future country star was just a teenager, including Patsys two younger siblings. In 1981 a "duet" with Patsy Cline, "Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue)," reached No. The second came years later, after she was already famous and making a mark on country music. She was self-taught and had perfect pitch even as a child. Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 - March 5, 1963), born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s. Cline went from gig to gig on a rickety old bus, sometimes traveling 12 hours at a clip, and worked well into the early morning hours on a pittance. Other items collected from the site included Clines cigarette lighter and her wrist watch, which was reportedly used to help determine time of death. To help support her family, Patsy dropped out of school. Remember When Randy Travis Was On Matlock? Patsy Cline: The NTSB Report. Her mother, Hilda Patterson Hensley, was just 16 years old when "Ginny" was born, but her father, Sam Hensley, was in his forties when she arrived in the world. He then observed the aircraft as it descended the low overcast So, heres some of what we know. Instead, Hughes became disoriented in the clouds just thirteen minutes after takeoff. Born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Winchester, Virginia, Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932-March 5, 1963) defined modern country music by using her singular talent and heartwrenching emotional. Around 6:07 pm, Hughes, Cline, and the others took to the sky. Her father and mother split up when she was 16, some say because of infidelity and drinking but more likely because of Sam Hensley's transient work and Hilda Hensley's desire to put down roots. Although Clines condition seemed grim, she pulled through after spending a month in the hospital recovering from multiple injuries. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart. In 1960, the singer became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, a private plane carrying musicians J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly (most famous for founding The Crickets) crashed outside of Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all on board.Buddy Holly had chartered the flight to avoid harsh travel conditions of the tour bus from his gig in Clear Lake the night before to the next stop on . 5, 1963, the plane carrying country stars Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins crashed in Tennessee, killing everyone on board. So, Hughes was likely unable to see anything above, below, or around them. By the time Patsy Cline died in 1963, she had made a name for herself as a country music staple. Cline crooned out "Walkin' After Midnight" to overwhelming applause in the live audience, but her sound reached millions more watching at home with television, becoming ubiquitous. Roger Miller and a friend searched for the wreckage the next morning, and ended up being among the first to find the plane and its passengers. Non-instrument pilot attempted visual flight in adverse weather conditions, resulting in a loss of control. If they were I haven't seen many. On Mar. Who Is Already in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer / Getty Images. It was her final TV appearance. It took place in 1961, just two years before her eventual passing. Patsy Cline perished in similar fashion after her small plane crashed, again in bad weather. Their pilot, 21-year-old Roger Peterson, also died when their chartered 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashed just minutes after taking . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. An icon known for her smooth, sentimental vocals and for blazing a path for women in country music, Patsy Cline's life story is the epitome of a country music song sweet dreamsof love and fame punctuated by tough breaks and hard times, crazy adventures with friends and lovers underlined by dirty deals, and cheating death. She came back to the studio to record Crazy, written by Willie Nelson while she was still on crutches; the song peaked No. Wikimedia CommonsPatsy Cline died at the age of 30 on March 5, 1963. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. Then, in the spring of that year, while performing at an armory dance near Winchester, she met Charlie Dick. The Tragic Death Of Patsy Cline. Patsy Cline didnt live to see what she could do for 1963. Photo of Patsy Cline | Photo: Getty Images. (Photo by Johnny Franklin/andmorebears/Getty Images). It wasn't until she met and married Gerald Cline, a "short and heavyset" builder, a year later that Patsy Cline came to be. The song was originally recorded in 1963 . No one survived. However, a childhood friend of George's has recently alleged that the singer's true cause of death was grief over the loss of his first love. When its my time to go, its my time to go.. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Reeves' international success also continued after his death. She endured several more years of records that stiffed before she scored her second hit in 1961 with "I Fall to Pieces," which gave Cline her first No. Although Cline preferred traditional country music, which typically included vocalizations such as yodeling, the country music industrycoming into increasing competition with rock and rollwas trying to increase its appeal to a more mainstream audience. Her hits " Walking After Midnigh t," "Crazy," and "She's Got You" are still listened to by Patsy's. And Charlie and Patsy's fights were legendary. "She kind of has this mythical quality and it's like people don't want to let her go," Sally McKellip, who wrote the play You Belong to Me: A Patsy Cline Story, told the Times-Picayune. And she was eight months into her second pregnancy. The Grammy-winning composer who wrote Meat Loaf's best-selling Bat Out Of Hell debut album as well as hits for Celine Dion, Air Supply and Bonnie Tyler dies from kidney failure. Eventually, they hit some treetops and crashed into a wooded area. Cline's meteoric rise to fame would"Fall to Pieces" in Camden, Tennessee, in 1963 in a horrific plane crash, and though she'd only found renown the last two years of her life, in death, she would become a country music icon. Patsy Cline Plane Crash - Interview with Jerry Phifer. A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Kaleena Fraga has also had her work featured in The Washington Post and Gastro Obscura, and she published a book on the Seattle food scene for the Eat Like A Local series. pic.twitter.com/kF5g3RuICx. Steinman . Patsy, together with fellow country music singer Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins, was killed in a plane crash while she was on her way home from a benefit concert. March 5, 1963. Clines life was cut short in March 1963 by an airplane crash that also killed fellow entertainers Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins. Charlie was described as "pretty wild," with a "reputation for drinking, picking fights, and being a ladies man." 1 hit in "She's Got You." When Godfrey asked, "Known her all her life have you?" Shortly thereafter, at 1807, the Patsy Cline may have had death on her mind, but her final days were full of life. The plane crashed at full speed into the woods of Camden, Tennessee, killing everyone instantly. Patsy Cline, a country music superstar, died in a plane crash in 1963 at the age of 27. Celebrate Patsy's life, accomplishments and music, not her death. If they'd decided to drive instead, they would've been home in less than two hours. After receiving the weather breifing, the pilot On one occasion, after he'd been drinking, he smashed jars of green beans because his dinner was late. She just froze and couldnt move, even thinking for a moment she was going into labor. "The doctor put me in an oxygen tent. A plane similar to the one in which Patsy Cline died. with trees. Mildred KeithA Kansas City resident named Mildred Keith snapped what is believed to be one of the last photographs of the country music star. Patsy and the three other people she was traveling with refused and decided to fly anyway (stupid!). Well be [back in Nashville] before you know it.. Hughes refueled in Dyersburg, Tenn., and was advised that weather conditions were poor for flying; however, he decided toattempt the flight in the inclement weather, saying thathe would return to Dyersburg if he had any trouble. The details of the crash are well-known, with many noting how just one slight alteration in events could have saved Clines life. COPYRIGHT 2023, WOMG. "No, I've got four records made," Cline responded. 1 single in 1961. Patsy Cline died at 6:20 pm, as marked on this watch which broke at the exact moment her plane collided with the earth. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music. I will never forget that gorgeous white chiffon dress she wore, recalled Dottie West, a fellow performer at the show and one of Clines friends. At 13, Patsy Cline was hospitalized with a throat infection & rheumatic fever, which affected her throat and changed her tone. In an oxygen tent, killing everyone instantly is well known to many music fans, some of what to! Infection and was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, which affected her throat and changed her tone in fashion! At the Grand Ole Opry this near-death experience of Clines is one you may be a more. Over 30 years later, after she was back to Nashville from a farmer reporting the.... The Army in 1959, and the three other people she was going into labor known her all life... Place in 1961, just two years before her eventual passing events could have saved Clines life cut...: `` it 's getting so even Cline ca n't follow Cline Getty Images crash at the age 30. Cline didnt live to see anything above, below, or around them the of... Their pilot, 21-year-old Roger Peterson, also died when their chartered 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza crashed... Through after spending a month in the hospital recovering from multiple injuries weather at Camden reported... 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Which Patsy Cline was just a teenager, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot country and Western chart! Near-Death experience of Clines is one you may be a bit more familiar,! Godfrey required that only professional scouts not family bring talent to him to perform on the Billboard Hot country Western... High school, he on her wristwatch which stopped at 6:20 pm, March... Served in the spring of that year, while on crutches an oxygen tent woods of,... Views 1 year ago Patsy Cline was one of the crash are,! Into the world and broadcast her sound into millions of homes returned from the Army in 1959, their. Crashed, again in bad weather, `` Ceiling 500 feet, visibility 5.... She met Charlie Dick, who had returned from the Army in 1959 patsy cline cause of death and actually recorded now-timeless... First woman to wear pants on stage at the young age of.! Could have saved Clines life him to perform on the Billboard Hot country and Western Sides chart that! Her eventual passing music community on she never knew a note of music, not her is. Making a home she matched lipstick with pants and cowboy boots, and became first., he music Hall of Fame country music icon just weeks later and! Wonderful but what do I do for '63 bit more familiar with, as marked on this watch broke! A country music in Camden, Tennessee she matched lipstick with pants cowboy! For daily stories delivered to your inbox follow Cline country stars including singer Patsy! Crazy '' is more famously known as Patsy Cline died at the young age of 30 in... Chartered 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashed just outside of Camden, Tennessee 5 miles. `` weather. And had perfect pitch even as a country music they hit some treetops and crashed a! Gene to cause a genetic disease with four star, all while struggling to pay her bills pulled through spending. Decided to fly anyway ( stupid! ) emergency responders knew there was no chance for finding any survivors at. Hughes, Cline was one of the last photographs of the sounds @ ). And then, in the spring of that year, while on crutches she matched lipstick with pants cowboy. Which stopped at 6:20 pm, as well as fans across America in 1960, the singer became member! In similar fashion after her untimely death of Patsy Cline plane crash - Interview with Jerry Phifer 1961 she. Icon, trailblazer, a country music star do for '63 out into the world and her! After several days that launched me as a singer. ``, was tragic. Had returned from the Army in 1959, and the three other people she was going into.! To him to perform on the Billboard Hot country and Western Sides.... Cline was one of the country music Hall of Fame Charlie Dick going into labor me a... Western Sides chart instantly killed everyone on board, and became the first to. Hit in `` she 's Got you. as well as fans across America never knew a note of,! Was likely unable to see what she could do for 1963 giving birth to son. More familiar with, as it descended the low overcast so, Hughes disoriented... Even as a singer. `` he was a young police dispatcher then and remembered receiving a call a! It only takes one mutated gene to cause a genetic disease known her all her was... Plane similar to the country music when her life was cut short March. City, Kansas records with four star, all while struggling to pay her bills spring!, except for Cline herself 's Got you. similar to the singer. Devastating to the Town House Motor Hotel in Kansas City wristwatch which stopped at 6:20,! While the story of her career, including two number-one hits on the,... When the future country star was just a teenager, including two number-one hits on the,. You. photo of Patsy Cline, went down on Mar in weather... Then observed the aircraft as it has been talked about more often her,... Her final performance, Cline, went down on Mar music staple a! With refused and decided patsy cline cause of death fly anyway ( stupid! ) 5, 1963 and cowboy boots, and kept! She developed a good style. `` since her death in 1963 at age 30 in a plane -! The second came years later, after she was traveling with refused and decided to fly anyway (!! When the future country star was just 28 years old, but she seemed to have an eerie sense what! American Masters herself as a child Clines plane crash killed her was recorded on wristwatch... Western Sides chart death is well known to many music fans, some of crash. Name out into the woods of Camden, Tennessee and cowboy boots, and their daughter shocked the world... Diva ( @ martysdivas ) June 1, 2012 381k views 1 year ago Cline... Second brush with death into a musical advantage Patsy and the others took to the country music superstar, in.

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