Loretta Lynn on Her Deep Friendship with Patsy Cline: "Life Got Better For Me..."
"That was a friendship that would just last and last and never die," Loretta Lynn said of her dear friend.
Few friendships in show business have been as legendary or heartfelt as the bond between the late country superstars Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline.
Though their friendship was cut short by Cline's tragic death, their bond left a lasting impact on Lynn and the country music genre as a whole. Both women were country trailblazers, pushing boundaries while navigating the exciting highs and chaotic lows of a male-dominated 60s country scene. Cline and Lynn shared a deep admiration, mentorship, and sisterhood, forming a connection that Lynn cherished long after Cline's passing in 1963.
"She came into my life and changed everything," Lynn wrote in her 2020 memoir Me and Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship With Patsy Cline. "That's what real friendships do. We made each other better."
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How did Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn meet?
The country songstresses first crossed paths in 1961, shortly after Cline was hospitalized with injuries from a car accident. After catching wind of the upsetting headline, Lynn performed Cline's hit "I Fall to Pieces" as a dedication to the hospitalized singer on the radio show Midnight Jamboree. Cline was charmed by the sentiment, inviting Lynn to visit her in the hospital, where they met officially.
In her 2020 memoir Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust, Lynn recalled, "Did I know meeting Patsy that day would change my life? No. How could I? But I knew I'd found a real friend: a great singer, a proud momma, a woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself."
Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn shared a brief but beautiful bond
Lynn and Cline struck a quick connection thanks to their shared interests and lifestyles; both women were mothers with dreams of country superstardom. Cline had navigated the Nashville country scene earlier than Lynn had and wasted no time showing Lynn the ropes while supporting her budding career.
"She taught June Carter, Dottie West, and me so much," Lynn told People in 1985. "She taught us everything about singin', about how to act onstage, how to stagger the numbers, how to dress... Patsy didn't let nobody tell her what to do. She done what she felt, and if a man got in her way she let 'em know they couldn't stand there."
Cline was a girl's girl to her core, helping fellow country songstresses whenever possible, divvying out everything from wardrobe staples to cherished wisdom. Lynn reminisced about Cline's endless generosity during a 2016 interview on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. "When I'd go over, she'd be cookin' for me, and when everything was over and she would start diggin' in her clothes, finding little old stuff for me to wear, sweaters and stuff," Lynn recalled. "And she'd load me down before the night was over."
Cline was the first artist to petition the Grand Ole Opry for admittance, so you can bet she encouraged Lynn and several other female trailblazers to fight for their time on the mythic stage. In her 1976 memoir, Coal Miner's Daughter, Lynn recalled a time when some of her envious country-singing colleagues worked to prevent her from performing at the Opry after she landed multiple invitations. After learning of the drama, Clines grabbed Lynn and paid a visit to the nay-sayers herself, putting a halt to any further animosity.
"When we got to the house, there were all these Cadillacs belonging to the top women singers in the country. We went in there, and they didn't say a word," Lynn wrote. "That ended their plan. Patsy put the stamp of approval on me, and I never had any problems with them again. In fact, they are my friends now."
Cline's impact on Lynn's music career was evident, but the courage and independence she instilled left the strongest mark on Lynn's life. Cline helped Lynn become fearless, both in her career and personal life. "After I met Patsy, life got better for me because I fought back," Cline said (via Biography). "Before that, I just took it. I had to. I was 3,000 miles away from my mom and dad and had four little kids. There was nothin' I could do about it. But later on, I started speakin' my mind when things weren't right."
When did Patsy Cline die?
Tragedy struck the entire country scene in March 1963 after a perilous plane crash led to Cline's death at just 30 years old. Cline had been traveling back home from a benefit concert; the incident killed everyone on board. The entertainment industry was shell-shocked by the loss, and Cline's family and friends were left devastated, Lynn included.
"When I heard that morning that Patsy was gone, I said out loud, 'What am I going to do?'" Lynn told People. "It was like a rug had been pulled out from under me. She was my friend, my mentor, my strength."
Lynn had lost a dear friend and knew that her life wouldn't be the same. "It was sad when we lost Patsy," Lynn told the Denver Post in 2009 while looking back at the tragedy. "She was my only girlfriend at the time. She took me under her wing, and when I lost her, it was something else. I still miss her to this day."
Loretta Lynn's tributes to Patsy Cline
Lynn has never forgotten Cline's impact on her life, memorializing her in several ways following the loss. After Lynn had twin daughters in 1964, she honored Cline's legacy by naming one of the girls Patsy. Fourteen years following Cline's passing, Lynn channeled her grief into a widely acclaimed tribute LP, I Remember Patsy.
The 1977 album featured Lynn's re-recordings of nine of Cline's most beloved hits, bringing Cline's music to a new generation of country fans. Lynn wrote in Coal Miner's Daughter that "nobody can sing Patsy's songs like Patsy," but the LP was a resounding success, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. "She wasn't just a person that sang," Lynn wrote. "She had greatness, and I think that came across in the little time that she was here."
Lynn's tribute album for Cline is jam-packed with heartwarming stories about her time with Cline, a testament to their timeless bond. In her 2020 memoir Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust, Lynn wrote: "That was a friendship that would just last and last and never die."
