41-year-old Harold Hawkshaw Hawkins was married to fellow country singer, Jean Shepard, when he died. After the announcement that the pop idol had died of natural causes; those mourning the singer were finally able to get some peace and closure. Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 - March 5, 1963) was an American country music singer. Doo hit Loretta. Most observers generally agree Clines plane shouldnt have taken off in the weather conditions the inexperienced pilot, her manager, Randy Hughes, faced that day. Shortly before his death, upon learning that he was gravely ill, Cline said to her mother . It only takes one mutated gene to cause a genetic disease. She kept her surname as her stage name. Cline and her brother, Sam, were involved in a head-on car crash that threw Cline into the windshield. DIVA FACT!! In fact, Patsy was reported to have complained about how cold the flight to Kansas City was (according to the CAB report, it was 43 degrees at the time of the crash). pic.twitter.com/kF5g3RuICx. The contract limited the vocalist to recording only songs McCall owned the publishing rights to, so he could make money off the rights and the record. West suggested Cline join her and her husband on the 16-hour drive home. 55 Years Ago: Johnny Cash Marries June Carter in Franklin, Ky. 17 Years Ago: Alan Jackson Releases Precious Memories, His First Gospel Album, Remembering 90s Country Artists We Lost Far Too Soon. The pilot received a thorough weather briefing based on Clines life was cut short in March 1963 by an airplane crash that also killed fellow entertainers Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins. The iconic country singer died in a plane crash while flying back to Nashville from a show in Kansas City, Kansas. 1 single in 1961. But what do I do for 63? They met when she wasn't just Bill Peers' musical partner but also his lover, and the two carried on their affair throughout Patsy's marriage to Gerald, according toHonky Tonk Angel. Patsy Cline MuseumPatsy Cline died at 6:20 pm, as marked on this watch which broke at the exact moment her plane collided with the earth. As Phifer recalled, he was amazed how people immediately began to arrive on the scene after the crash site was located, taking what they could find from the Sweet Dreams singers scattered belongings and other wreckage. (Photo by Johnny Franklin/andmorebears/Getty Images). Reeves' international success also continued after his death. Her records are responsible for the advent of the Nashville Sound, which blended country and pop music and introduced country to a whole new audience in the early 1960s. According to Phifers recollection, the farmer who called in the emergency found the wreckage the following morning. The cause of death for Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung and their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, found dead on a hiking trail near Yosemite National Park in August, was hyperthermia with possible . This is thetragic real-life story of Patsy Cline. She only had two chart-topping hits to her name at the time of her death, but she went down in history as a country music legend. On Mar. Profession. According to the documentary, The Real Patsy Cline, Hughes was piloting the plane in bad weather, wasnt instrument-rated, and relying on visual perception. Unfortunately, the crash was reportedly due to the inexperience of the pilot, Clines manager, Randy Hughes. In 1954, Patsy finally signed with Four Star Records. The 58-year-old singer-songwriter, who won country music's first Grammy for a female vocalist died at 9:43 a.m. CDT, said Barbara Cramer, spokeswoman for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. On Mar. In 1960, the singer became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. "Until Patsy, no country female singer dared being smooth; they were all rough.". A lot of people think that during this time I hated Patsy Cline, she explained. some portions I could not definitively make out. But her star power has only strengthened since her untimely death and the love for her music endures to this day. Born Sidney Thomas Boyce, his father was a minister. 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. After reading about how Patsy Cline died in a plane crash, check out these photos of when a B-25 Bomber made a wrong turn into the Empire State Building. That kind of negativity failed to deter. (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns), Photo of Patsy Cline Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Late 1950s, Tennessee, Nashville, Patsy Cline. Patsy Cline was an American singer. 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 marriage was reportedly loveless, however, and ended shortly after Cline found real fame. I copied this from a poor photo of the National Transportation and Safety Board's original crash report- The third one will either be a charm, or itll kill me.. At the age of 14, a confident Patsy Cline (still known then as Virginia "Ginny" Hensley) walked into a local radio station in her hometown of Winchester, Virginia, got an audition on the spot, and landed her first singing gig. 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! Steinman . "And while Patsy loved Charlie Dick to distraction, he was given to drink. The stage name Patsy Cline came from her first marriage to a man named Gerald Cline and her middle name, Patterson. 5, 1963, the airplane carrying nation stars Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins crashed in Tennessee, killing everybody on board. Then, in the spring of that year, while performing at an armory dance near Winchester, she met Charlie Dick. Even decades after her untimely death,Patsy Clineremains a country music icon. The most popular female country singer in recording history, Patsy Cline achieved icon status after her tragic early death at age thirty in 1963. 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. Following her final performance, Cline returned to the Town House Motor Hotel in Kansas City. 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. According to CMT News, Cline struggled "paying the deposit to get her phone turned back on or to dole out money for much-needed car repairs. To this day, the cause of the crash is the pilot's inexperience paired with poor flying conditions. In 1956, with steady (albeit meager) earnings fromTown and Country Time, Patsy Cline needed money just to keep food on the table. Copas and Hawkins joined Cline and Hughes on the plane, which departed Kansas City at around 2PM. Hensely replied, "Just about.". Since her death in 1963 at age 30 in a private airplane crash at the height of her career, she has been . Some of her personal belongings, including that watch, are on display in Nashvilles Patsy Cline Museum, per Rolling Stone. Cline came down with a throat infection and rheumatic fever, and had to be hospitalized. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. When it's my time to go, it's my time to go.". She and her brother got into a head-on collision in Nashville. While the details of Clines plane crash are universally known, few know about the two near-death experiences she went through earlier in life. This story was originally written by Gayle Thompson, and revised by Annie Zaleski. So, he landed several times on their trip to allow the storm to push ahead of them. The Plane Crash That Killed Patsy Cline and the Other Country Tragedies Surrounding It. Its getting so even Cline cant follow Cline., Just one week before the plane crash that took her life, Patsy reportedly told singer Ray Walker that shes walking a fine line between life and death: Honey, Ive had two bad ones [accidents]. Cline was killed instantly on March 5, 1963, when a small private plane she was traveling on while returning to Nashville crashed in a heavy downpour and limited visibility in Camden, Tenn., 90 miles outside of Music City. Peer encouraged her to take on a stage name, and Patsy an homage to her middle name was starting to emerge. Inspection 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. Some say that she's gotten her due as one of America's. What if Hughes decided to wait out the bad weather? Although we lost Cline years ago, we could have lost her so much earlier. Patsy Cline's (Virginia Patterson Hensley) plane crashed on 5 March 1963. The first of those experiences was when she was only 13 years old. A plane similar to the one in which Patsy Cline died. "Already she possessed a sassiness and the knowledge that she was someone special." At 1705 c.a.t., the pilot landed N-7000P at Dyersburg, Tennessee to obtain weather information for the remaining portion After she finished her performance, Cline returned to her hotel. 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 . When weather conditions prohibited Cline from flying out on March 4, West invited Cline to join her and her husband Bill on the 16-hour drive back to Music City. Considered. Phifer confessed to picking up a few items, too. After her recording of I Fall to Pieces remained a popular seller for 39 consecutive weeks, she was marketed as a pop singer and was backed by strings and vocals. The song recorded with Four Star under her minimal-royalties contract shot up the country charts and made the crossover to the pop charts too, a first for a female country artist at the time. Though she became known around the world as Patsy, Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley. A March 5, 1963 plane crash near Camden,Tennesseetook Cline's life when she was just 30 years old. They took off around 2 pm, stopping in Dyersburg, Tennessee to refuel. The story of Patsy Cline, the velvet-voiced country music singer who died in a tragic plane crash at the height of her fame. After takeoff, there were no further radio contacts with N-7000P. She was just beautiful. It instantly killed everyone on board, and the wreckage was only found the next morning. She kept a busy touring and recording schedule until her shocking death. Most recently, Cline was the subject of a Lifetime biopic titled "Patsy & Loretta," which detailed her bond with fellow iconic. 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. By the time she had reached her early 20s, Cline was promoting herself as Patsy and was on her way toward country music stardom. But it's clear that her music will live for generations to come. Advertisement. "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. Patsy Cline was a singer whose biggest hits"Walkin' After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces," and "Crazy"embody the so-called Nashville Sound, a synthesis of country and popular music. 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. Eventually, she developed a good style.". Her manager, Bill Peer, gave her the name "Patsy" from her middle name. The country singer Patsy Cline died at the age of 30. The pilot then Charlie was described as "pretty wild," with a "reputation for drinking, picking fights, and being a ladies man." Then, she went back to Winchester for burial at Shenandoah Memorial Park. Patsy Cline's Death on March 5, 1963, was a tragic day for the country music community. Its never an easy time of year, she said. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Instead, they connect to the previous two times that Cline nearly lost her life. She was self-taught and had perfect pitch even as a child. "The doctor put me in an oxygen tent. But folks around town often reminded her not only that achieving fame was hard, but that it was nearly impossible for someone growing up "on the other side of the tracks." Patsy Cline AKA Virginia Patterson Hensley Born: 8-Sep - 1932 Birthplace: Winchester, VA Died: 5-Mar - 1963 Location of death: Camden, TN Cause of death: Accident - Airplane Remains: Buried, Shenandoah Memorial Park, Winchester, VA Gender: Female Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Country Musician Known in her youth as "Ginny," she began to sing . Eerily, Cline seemed to know that a tragic fate awaited her down the line. To make ends meet, her mother worked as a seamstress, while Ginny found messy work in a poultry plant plucking chickens, scrubbing the Greyhound bus station, and jerking sodas at a local drug store, according to PBS Newshour. And these questions actually dont pertain to the plane crash at all. The cause of the crash was blamed on the inexperience of the pilot. We aren't celebrating her death, we wish she had lived and got the happiness she deserved. 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. Cline was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973. 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. But a farmer in Camden, Tennessee soon reported to local police hed heard the sounds of a plane crash. How Did Patsy Cline Die? March 5, 1963. Patsy didnt expect she would live much longer. Arturo Galster as Patsy Cline in 1992 Arturo Galster as Patsy Cline . At the end, Godfrey asked, "Is that the first record you made?" With Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ann Wedgeworth, David Clennon. She was joined by fellow country music stars Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas, as well as her manager and the pilot, Randy Hughes. 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