Jeannie Seely, a legendary country singer and a Grand Ole Opry icon, has passed away at the age of 85.
As reported by PEOPLE, the A Wanderin' Man crooner died on Friday, August 1, at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, as a result of complications from an intestinal infection.
Seely lost her husband, Eugene Ward, to cancer last December and had been dealing with her own health scare throughout 2025.
She had undergone "multiple back surgeries this spring for vertebrae repairs," as well as "two emergency abdominal surgeries," the statement read.
At the time of her hospitalisation, Seely had revealed she also had spent "11 days in the intensive care unit and [suffered] a bout with pneumonia."
The country singer first gained success with her 1966 song Don't Touch Me, which earned her the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1967.
She began performing on local radio at the age of 11. After high school, she worked as a stenographer until she moved to California in 1961. She worked at a bank, but her passion called, and she got a job as a secretary at Imperial Records.
In 1965, she moved to Nashville, the heart of country music, permanently, where she released her renowned song, Don't Touch Me, which helped her secure a spot at the Opry.
The following year, she was inducted as a member, and in 2022, she celebrated 55 years as a member with over 5,000 appearances in the show, breaking many records.
Notably, the August 2 Grand Ole Opry show will be dedicated to Jeannie Seely.
