\n<\/p>\n
\n\tJeannie Seely, the Grammy Award-winning country singer and Grand Ole Opry star, has died. She was 85.<\/p>\n
\n\tSeely died in Nashville on Friday of complications from an intestinal infection.<\/p>\n
\n\tShe found success as an artist in 1996 with her breakout hit \u201cDon\u2019t Touch Me,\u201d which was written by Hank Cochran. The song earned Seely her first Grammy nomination and win for best female country vocal performance at the ninth awards ceremony, and she went on to earn two additional nods.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tOne year later, the singer became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, making her the first woman to regularly host and emcee segments on the legendary stage. In total, Seely performed at the Grand Ole Opry over 5,000 times, making her one of the most-performed artists at the music venue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tShe was born on July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Her interest in music began at a young age when she would appear on local radio and TV stations. After a brief career in banking in California, Seely pivoted to writing music and signed with Challenge Records, which led her to move to Nashville.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn Nashville, her country music career took off with the arrival of 1996\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Touch Me\u201d via Monument Records. The track landed at No. 2 on Billboard\u2019s Hot Country Songs chart, and additionally earned her sole appearance on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 85.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFrom there, she went on to have over two dozen singles on the country charts, including tracks like \u201cCan I Sleep in Your Arms,\u201d which went on to be recorded by Willie Nelson, and \u201cLucky Ladies.\u201d Aside from her own efforts as an artist, Seely found further success penning hits for other musicians, including \u201cLeavin\u2019 and Sayin\u2019 Goodbye,\u201d for Faron Young.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tTowards the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, Seely\u2019s began collaborating with Jack Greene. The two musicians toured together performing their duets, including \u201cWish I Didn\u2019t Have to Miss You,\u201d which went to No. 2 on Billboard\u2019s Hot Country Singles chart.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThroughout her career, she released a total of 17 studio albums, including her most recent 2020 record, An American Classic<\/em>. The project featured duets with Nelson, Ray Stevens and Lorrie Morgan. <\/p>\n \n\tIn 2018, she also kicked off her SiriusXM show Sundays with Seely<\/em>. Most recently, Seely played her final show at the Grand Ole Opry this February.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem possible to know a world without Seely in it,\u201d singer Tim Atwood said in a statement. \u201cAnd as good as the Opry show is, the Opry spotlight will never shine as brightly without Jeannie in the center circle.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDolly Parton, a friend of Seely\u2019s, shared an additional statement on Instagram: \u201cI have known Jeanie Seely since we were early on in Nashville. She was one of my dearest friends. I think she was one of the greater singers in Nashville and she had a wonderful sense of humor. We had many wonderful laughs together, cried over certain things together and she will be missed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tSeely\u2019s husband, Gene Ward, died in December of cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n