Patsy Cline Performed Just Days Before Her Tragic Death in 1963
Country singer Patsy Cline left her mark on the beloved music genre but sadly passed away in a plane crash before she could make even more of an impact on fans. It was March 3, 1963, when Cline performed songs such as “I Fall to Pieces” and “I’ll Sail My Ship Alone” at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Kansas City, not knowing that it would be her last performance. Ironically, it was a benefit concert for a local DJ’s family by the name of “Cactus” Jack Call, who had passed away in a car accident. Also on the bill were other Grand Ole Opry alums like George Jones and Dottie West. According to a social post from Cline’s daughter, due to bad weather, her mom couldn’t make it back to Nashville until two days after the concert.
On March 5, 1963, just five days after that performance, she died in a plane crash, around 90 miles from her destination. She was only 30 years old. Despite being so young, she certainly accomplished a lot. She was the first female performer to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and was known for other hits including “She’s Got You” and “So Wrong” on three studio albums before her death.
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Her final album, titled Sentimentally Yours, was released just about a year before her death. Decades later, her daughter, Julie Fudge, shared about her mother’s legacy, “The fact that we’re here, 61 years after her passing, talking about it right now, is a testament to what [her] legacy is all about. I was a child of the ’70s and listened to anything but [her music]. But at the same time, I became a true fan of Patsy. And so it’s not just listening to Mom, it’s listening to Patsy, and understanding what people hear, and what people feel when they hear those things.”
While she died far too young, she still continues to leave a legacy in country music and has inspired countless female musicians over the years. Now, enjoy one of her final performances of “I Fall to Pieces,” performed on The Glenn Reeves Show just a few days before her last performance, over six decades ago:
Remind 
Queens of Country
November 2019
Get your toes-tapping as we give a nod to the queens of classic country music.
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