Tammy Wynette

[Aries65]

She was a great singer. I really love her old stuff from the 70's. And also that funky song she did in the 90's "Justified and Ancient" with KLF.

Hers is a pretty interesting story if you ever get the chance to read it - the book by her daughter tells all.

And her husband, who claimed to "love" her so much - turned around and married a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader months after Tammy's death and recently had a child!

Tammy is a sore subject on FAD - if you've read the email her husband sent Scott.

I had the priviledge to visit her grave in Tennessee back in July. It's inside the main building attached to the funeral home. A pretty creepy walk - down the long halls of all the other tombs - feeling as if you are being "watched". And also there is a columbarian in there of cremated remains in glass niches - complete with personal objects inside next the urns.

If you ever get a chance to visit the Columbarian in San Francisco and like haunted places - that's the place to go! Really creepy and weird in there!

Anyway , Tammy has a couple of framed pictures hung on the tomb - one of her and the other of her grown kids and there was a big spray of flowers next to the tomb - from her "loving" husband George Richey.

My friend and I took a few pictures next to the tomb, and I told her how we'd been listening to some of her songs in the car on the way there.

After we visited her, we went outside to the grounds and stopped by to say "howdy" to Marty Robbins. Weird thing - his song "El Paso" kept going thru my head as we walked away from his grave.

[Mrs. Watson]

Tammy is one of my favorite FAD entries just because that husband of hers was such a loon and obviously full of sh1t. I don't think he killed her per se, but I sure do think he knew she was in obvious distress and let her die. She really lived a tragic honky tonk life.

Oh and Aries, I think it is very nice that you took the time to visit her grave.

The only famous person who is buried even remotely near to me is former Michigan Governor Romney and even though he's only two blocks from my house, uh, no thanks!

[firegilnotguns]

Tammy is one of my favorite FAD entries just because that husband of hers was such a loon and obviously full of sh1t.

Yeah, I'm with you, George Richey's stuff really makes that entry amusing- he's such an arsehole.

[elnoradawn]

tammy has always been one of my favorites. my mother was a huge fan of hers and i remember how devestated she was when she died.

after reading the details of tammy's death, it's even more tragic. her husband seems like a total prick and i'm sure he'll pay one day.

[Aries65]

after reading the details of tammy's death, it's even more tragic. her husband seems like a total prick and i'm sure he'll pay one day.

Yeah, the "warm-hearted" step-father made sure Tammy's daughters didn't get shit after she died. Most of everything stayed with him - or went to HIS family.

[elnoradawn]

that's so horrid. i hate to say it, but she was probably better of dying when she did, rather than live much longer with that prick.

[knothere]

Maybe karma will kick in n her x husband will have sumone marry him for money n fame n get him addicted to drugs n drugs n drugs n watch him rot n wait for him to die on the couch with the will in her hands clutched and keep him in his place with the back of her hand too.

[Aries65]

Okay, for your ghoulish viewing pleasure, I thought I'd post a picture of me at Tammy's Grave - taken this past July. Sorry, I hate getting my picture taken and I look like crap - since it was hot as hell in Tennessee and I'd been ALL the driving on this trip (my friend was too sick from chemo to do any driving!).

[onehunglow]

The news came on and it was like being hit with a hammer. I guess we all have our Queens and Kings of Country. She is mine and in my book the 1st lady of Country. You Need to see her and Conway Twitty and Ralph Emmery do the interview on a river boat. She tells how she hated Stand By Your Man. She did write it in 20 minutes. talent.

[Darrianne]

I love her voice - and many of her songs. Believe it or not, I never have cared much for "Stand By Your Man" though. I do think George is a big old scum sucking hack bottom feeding buttmuncher.

[Shes Not There]

Ares, is the purple bandana your signature item? I like it!

[RoRo]

I was lucky enough to meet Tammy when I was backstage at a George Jones show in Branson...she was appearing at the theater next door and came over to see George. She was so gracious and nice, wearing a beautiful sequined deep blue dress, George on the otherhand was a royal jackass. Still they weren't called the presidnet and first lady of country music for nothing their duets were faboo! I love hearing that trademark catch in her voice.

[Aries65]

Ares, is the purple bandana your signature item? I like it!

I wear different colors - but purple is one of my favorites! I have pretty thick hair - and living in the South - those "do-rags" come in handy during the summer!

[b57hrle]

Okay, for your ghoulish viewing pleasure, I thought I'd post a picture of me at Tammy's Grave - taken this past July. Sorry, I hate getting my picture taken and I look like crap - since it was hot as hell in Tennessee and I'd been ALL the driving on this trip (my friend was too sick from chemo to do any driving!).

Well I think you look great! and Thank you for a wonderful pic... Love Marty Robbins! Its really sad TW put up with the Prik to begin with.. I mean its not like she would have a hard time findin a real man to be with... but I agree... I wouldnt say he killed her... but I think he let her die... to take all that wasnt his...

[Aries65]

Not seen in the picture, but to the left of me was a big spray of flowers with a card signed "Still missing you, love G Richey" Gag! Probably paid for with HER money.

We were going to buy some flowers to leave at the grave, but we were told by the funeral home people that Tammy's family does not want fans to leave flowers or anything there.

The people who work there are the NICEST people. They answer any and all questions and even give you a paper listing ALL the famous people that are there at their cemetery.

That's how we found Marty Robbins, but we only went looking for him since it was too durn hot out there! Whew!

Oh, and I asked one of the guys who worked there if there was any reports of hauntings inside the crypt areas and he said he never heard of anything - but then again, he said no one liked be in there after dark!

I felt a bit creepy walking around in there, going down the long hallways of crypts and niches. Just felt like I was being "Watched" the entire time!

[BamaDeathHag]

I loved Tammy's music and still do. The book her daughter wrote is an awesome read!

[susalu]

I think there was a character on Sesame Street called Whiney Tammette, and maybe even Polly Darton.... Does anyone remember those??? Sus

[firegilnotguns]

I think there was a character on Sesame Street called Whiney Tammette, and maybe even Polly Darton.... Does anyone remember those??? Sus

I don't remember Whiney Tammette, but I do remember Polly Darton!

[susalu]

I don't remember Whiney Tammette, but I do remember Polly Darton!

i knew i could count on you Gil!!! S

[MPetro108]

I loved Tammy's music and still do. The book her daughter wrote is an awesome read!

I just finished reading Tammy's daughters book and I believe Richey knew she was dying and let her die. The book stated that if he would have taken her to the hospital like he was told to do, even though he claims she wouldn't go, she probably would have lived. How sad is that? Very interesting read indeed!

[midnitelamp]

anybody in the nashville tn area listen to wwtn? ralph bristol,the morning host asked are george and tammy still together?

how do these people get on the radio?

[Cathy J.]

anybody in the nashville tn area listen to wwtn? ralph bristol,the morning host asked are george and tammy still together?

how do these people get on the radio?

"....I believe Christmas falls on the 25th this year !!!". LOL !!!
My husband and I actually heard some dj say that on Washington DC's WRQX Mix 107.3 shopping at Macys the other weekend. The woman behind the counter after hearing this said "...no shit DUH !!!!! "

About George and Tammy, didn't he rape her once? Reason I bring this up, years and years ago ( perhaps around 1982 ) I saw a movie on HBO about a husband-wife country music team. One scene I remember the woman came home after a doing a show and her husband was drunk ( right there sounds like George Jones !!! ), starts yelling as his wife, cussing her out ( that again sounds like Jones ).

Then he rips her clothes off and rapes her. At the time I heard the movie about the lives of George and Tammy. I wish I could remember the title of this.

Considering that the husband used words like "..I am going to fuck you bitch !!" "...give me head you god-damn whore !!" and that rape scene was pretty graphic. Ah no this was NOT the rather tame TV movie about Goerge and Tammy that CBS aired around the same time as this.

Anybody remembers this movie?

[qulevergrrl]

When I read Scott's entry on her I was totally blown away. This husband should have been charged with something. I read it almost two years ago now and was blown away by the behavior of everyone on scene. O.k., that was another one that stayed with me. And I don't even like her! Just an aweful, sad story.

[knothere]

i feel bad for her to have a leeeeeech like her husband
im surprised he isnt in here sueing everyone

[qulevergrrl]

Ha ha ha! I'd give him all of my personal info if he would just come in and "talk it over" with us. I don't think he could stand up to the pressure.

[Aries65]

Just bumpin' this up for the Tammy fans...

[VSA]

I think Tammy Wynette was the first star I read about when I originally found Findadeath. Her hubby was a total asshat and is reflected in his hate mail. What a pretty, talented lady Tammy was and what a shame she had to deal with such a vulture who rode on her stardom.

[Elizabeth]

I love Tammy, and my favorite song of hers is "Til I Can Make It On My Own".....such a hard life, and what a tragedy even after death.....

[djdeath-hag]

Since this thread has been bumped, I had to make mention of Leslie Jordan (who played "Beverly Leslie" on 'Will & Grace')....his portrayal of Brother Boy in the movie Sordid Lives is one of my all time favorite roles. I don't usually care much for drag but he nailed his character. No disrespect for Ms. Wynette or her loyal fans is intended by this post.

If you're unfamiliar with Sordid Lives, a dark comedy about white trash, here's a link to a compilation on youtube....it features a bit of lovely classic Tammy Wynette as well as some of the highlights from the movie.
***WARNING*** the following link, while it meets youtube standards, is NOT reccommended for children. There is a brief bit of female nudity, coarse language & plenty of laughs....but proceed at your own risk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YGTJPXPI4Y

[NOVSTORM]

I just finished reading Tammy's daughters book and I believe Richey knew she was dying and let her die. The book stated that if he would have taken her to the hospital like he was told to do, even though he claims she wouldn't go, she probably would have lived. How sad is that? Very interesting read indeed!

Well considering he was screwing his next wife to be and treated Tammy like dirt, you bet he let her die. He wanted out because of her illnesses and her money.

[Opeth32]

Since this thread has been bumped, I had to make mention of Leslie Jordan (who played "Beverly Leslie" on 'Will & Grace')....his portrayal of Brother Boy in the movie Sordid Lives is one of my all time favorite roles. I don't usually care much for drag but he nailed his character. No disrespect for Ms. Wynette or her loyal fans is intended by this post.

If you're unfamiliar with Sordid Lives, a dark comedy about white trash, here's a link to a compilation on youtube....it features a bit of lovely classic Tammy Wynette as well as some of the highlights from the movie.
***WARNING*** the following link, while it meets youtube standards, is NOT reccommended for children. There is a brief bit of female nudity, coarse language & plenty of laughs....but proceed at your own risk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YGTJPXPI4Y

Love this movie!!! I put it up there with Pricilla Queen of the desert.

[djdeath-hag]

Love this movie!!! I put it up there with Pricilla Queen of the desert.

Who wouldn't LOVE "Sordid Lives"?????
In case I failed to mention it before, "Sordid Lives: The Series" is scheduled to debut on LOGO here's the preview.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSLtYzQU72M
I believe that the premiere date is July 23rd.....I can hardly wait!!!!

And....to keep this post on topic; Tammy Wynette is being played in the series (via apparitions to Brother Boy) by none other than Georgette Jones, Tammy's daughter!!!

Quite a strong majority of the original cast from the movie reprise their roles....which makes me all the more excited about the series. It will be a pre-quel to the movie, Peggy is alive & being portrayed by Rue McClannahan! How good is THAT?????

[midnitelamp]

i was at the funeral home tonite for visitation of a friends mother,when i realized Tammy was there,too,and some other friends parents were in the columbarian that Aries mentioned in the first post.

incredibly,to me anyway,i walked right to their ashes.

i continued on,looking for Tammy,finally decided to turn left and go back home to come back some other time.

then,turned the corner and the 5 inch high golden letter,TAMMY WYNETTE.

two lone roses with heartfelt cards,and two large bouquets of fresh flowers.

[John Connor]

One of my favourite singers ever. Such a unique voice, so passionate yet tightly reined.

[simon69]

Love this movie!!! I put it up there with Pricilla Queen of the desert.

This movie so fab, I find myself using some of the lines from Sordid Lives! Brother Boy!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YGTJPXPI4Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWUceMWQ-AU

[monroe62]

Tammy and George bought a house (more like a mansion) about five miles from where I live (at the time, located in the booneys, but now developed like mad) called "The Plantation". Lord knows why because Polk County was extrememly rural back the late 1960s. Daughter Georgette was born in Lakeland in 1970.

One time, George had lost his license for DUI and the local police arrested him for driving his riding mower while intoxicated down the side of the highway (maybe a mile) to the main road and the corner gas station for more beer.

I believe there is a b/w Annie Lebowitz photograph of Tammy entering the house somewhere on the net.

She was a great lady and very loved and respected while here. People still talk about her.

As for Sordid Lives, the series isn't near as good as the film. But it has it's moments. Love BB.

[RocketQueen]

Tammy died 11 years ago today. R.I.P. Tammy!!!

[MoonRabbit]

I love Tammy Wynette. Now I have to get that book.

[djdeath-hag]

R.I.P.

[warmbear]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwBirf4BWew


..... damn..

[djdeath-hag]

Sorry....I can't help myself....I absolutely LOVE "Sordid Lives"....the movie & the series both speak to me, having spent some of my wasted youth in a small town in the South. I find so many of the characters closely resemble folks I lived amongst for many years. (And who could not love Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy...or as Beverly Leslie on 'Will & Grace'?"
Cool side notes: I may have mentioned before....Del Shores, who wrote & directed Sordid Lives cast Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy after Leslie had served as Best Man at his wedding. During the transition from stage to screen, Del went through a divorce (and coming out process) from his wife....yet BOTH of his in-laws not only were willing to continue their roles from stage to screen (Rosemary & Newell Alexander.....Dr. Eve & Wardell) but they went on to portray the same roles on the small screen.....and allegedly will appear in his newest stage-to-screen delight, "Southern Baptist Sissies".

[John Connor]

Sorry....I can't help myself....I absolutely LOVE "Sordid Lives"....the movie & the series both speak to me, having spent some of my wasted youth in a small town in the South. I find so many of the characters closely resemble folks I lived amongst for many years. (And who could not love Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy...or as Beverly Leslie on 'Will & Grace'?"
Cool side notes: I may have mentioned before....Del Shores, who wrote & directed Sordid Lives cast Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy after Leslie had served as Best Man at his wedding. During the transition from stage to screen, Del went through a divorce (and coming out process) from his wife....yet BOTH of his in-laws not only were willing to continue their roles from stage to screen (Rosemary & Newell Alexander.....Dr. Eve & Wardell) but they went on to portray the same roles on the small screen.....and allegedly will appear in his newest stage-to-screen delight, "Southern Baptist Sissies".

If that's the movie where they break the guy out of the nuthouse (he is a Tammy impersonator) I did see it. Can't remember it that well but I remember I liked it.

Tammy was the best.

[STsFirstmate]

Tammy and George bought a house (more like a mansion) about five miles from where I live (at the time, located in the booneys, but now developed like mad) called "The Plantation". Lord knows why because Polk County was extrememly rural back the late 1960s. Daughter Georgette was born in Lakeland in 1970.

One time, George had lost his license for DUI and the local police arrested him for driving his riding mower while intoxicated down the side of the highway (maybe a mile) to the main road and the corner gas station for more beer.

I believe there is a b/w Annie Lebowitz photograph of Tammy entering the house somewhere on the net.

She was a great lady and very loved and respected while here. People still talk about her.

As for Sordid Lives, the series isn't near as good as the film. But it has it's moments. Love BB.

Monroe I have always loved the George Jones riding mower story.
One thing I heard about Tammy that always touched me was that she kept renewing her Beautician's license right up to her death because she "wanted to have something to fall back on". She had no idea of her importance in the industry.
Her and George certainly knew how to wrench every tear out of a good duet!
I miss classic country music before the Nashville Syndicate came along and a bunch of MBAs and lawyers, many of them yankees, started deciding who would get radio airtime and who would get record deals.
Even Grand Old Opry is micro-managed now.
It has gotten so souless the last few years! Sigh! Just my opinion.
Regards,
Mary

["What Tha....?"]

RIGHT ON, MARY!!! I am certainly one of the fans of country music, who knows full well, it started way before Garth Brooks made it popular!
These new gals that call themselves country music singers, with their boob jobs and designer clothes, can't hold a candle to the classic dames of country music! I'm sure Patsy and Tammy must be spinning in their graves. And Dolly and Loretta need to go over and slap these new singing bimbos! That's the only way those gals will "hit" it in country music, in my book!

[STsFirstmate]

RIGHT ON, MARY!!! I am certainly one of the fans of country music, who knows full well, it started way before Garth Brooks made it popular!
These new gals that call themselves country music singers, with their boob jobs and designer clothes, can't hold a candle to the classic dames of country music! I'm sure Patsy and Tammy must be spinning in their graves. And Dolly and Loretta need to go over and slap these new singing bimbos! That's the only way those gals will "hit" it in country music, in my book!

Great picture of the old Ryman as your Avatar!
I have a friend who just got discouraged trying to make it in Nashville and she is moving to Ashville NC.
She was appalled at how business is done there. I look at the some of the real greats of country music and they would not have had a chance today.
You used to be able to go to Nashville during Fanfair and meet legends. Now it is all hat acts and many are creations because they had a particular look that an investment group decided to market.
I regret not going to see Johnny Cash during the last year he toured. That would have been something.
Lacey J Dalton made a great record called 16th Ave and that sort of summed it all up for me.

[SIZE=2][SIZE=3]16th Avenue[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Tom Schuyler
[/SIZE][SIZE=2](16th Avenue)
(Greatest Hits)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]From the corners of the country
From the cities and the farms
With years and years of living
Tucked up underneath their arms[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]They walk away from everything
Just to see a dream come true
So God bless the boys who make the noise
On 16th Avenue[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]With a million dollar spirit
And an old flattop guitar
They drive to town with all they own
In a hundred dollar car[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]â??Cause one time someone told them
About a friend of a friend they knew
Who owns, you know, a studio
On 16th Avenue[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Now some were born to money
Theyâ??ve never had to say â??Surviveâ?�
And others swing a 9 pound hammer
Just to stay alive[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Thereâ??s cowboys drunks and Christians
Mostly white and black and blue
Theyâ??ve all dialed the phone collect to home
From 16th Avenue[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Ah, but then one night in some empty room
Where no curtains ever hung
Like a miracle some golden words
Rolled off of someoneâ??s tongue[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]And after years of being nothing
Theyâ??re all looking right at you
And for a while theyâ??ll go in style
On 16th Avenue[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]It looked so uneventful
So quiet and discreet
But a lot of lives where changed
Down on that little one way street[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]â??Cause they walk away from everything
Just to see a dream come true
So God bless the boys who make the noise
On 16th Avenue[/SIZE]

Regards,
Mary

[cash]

a new book on her life. The final days weren't pretty:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1257400/Anthem-life-destroyed-Country-singer-Tammy-Wynettes-tragic-life-laid-bare-new-biography.html

[Fancynancy]

She was a great singer. I really love her old stuff from the 70's. And also that funky song she did in the 90's "Justified and Ancient" with KLF.

Hers is a pretty interesting story if you ever get the chance to read it - the book by her daughter tells all.

And her husband, who claimed to "love" her so much - turned around and married a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader months after Tammy's death and recently had a child!

Tammy is a sore subject on FAD - if you've read the email her husband sent Scott.

I had the priviledge to visit her grave in Tennessee back in July. It's inside the main building attached to the funeral home. A pretty creepy walk - down the long halls of all the other tombs - feeling as if you are being "watched". And also there is a columbarian in there of cremated remains in glass niches - complete with personal objects inside next the urns.

If you ever get a chance to visit the Columbarian in San Francisco and like haunted places - that's the place to go! Really creepy and weird in there!

Anyway , Tammy has a couple of framed pictures hung on the tomb - one of her and the other of her grown kids and there was a big spray of flowers next to the tomb - from her "loving" husband George Richey.

My friend and I took a few pictures next to the tomb, and I told her how we'd been listening to some of her songs in the car on the way there.

After we visited her, we went outside to the grounds and stopped by to say "howdy" to Marty Robbins. Weird thing - his song "El Paso" kept going thru my head as we walked away from his grave.

That husband of Tammy's I remember seeing footage of her funeral and he is "collapsing" in grief. What a loser!

[GrinReaper]

What exactly was she suffering from that led to her death?
From reading her profile over on the FAD site, it seems that it was mostly or just pills that contributed to her demise.
So was it just the pills or other things?

[ichabodius]

What exactly was she suffering from that led to her death?
From reading her profile over on the FAD site, it seems that it was mostly or just pills that contributed to her demise.
So was it just the pills or other things?

From Wikipaedia:

Health problems
Wynette also had a number of serious physical ailments beginning in the 1970s, including operations on her gall bladder, kidney and on the nodules on her throat. In 1994, she suffered an abdominal infection that almost killed her. She was in a coma for six days. She developed a chronic inflammation of the bile ducts and was intermittently hospitalized, from 1970 until her death in 1998. [7] She had 26 major surgeries during her lifetime. Although some of these problems were often very serious, Wynette was still able to pursue her singing career and regularly tour to promote her work.
Wynette also developed a serious addiction to painkiller medication in the 1980s, which became quite a problem in her life during that time. However, in 1986, she sought help entering the Betty Ford Center for drug treatment that year.
[edit] Death

After years of medical problems,[citation needed] numerous hospitalizations, approximately twenty-six major surgeries and an addiction to large doses of pain medication, Tammy Wynette died, in her sleep, on April 6, 1998. Tammy's doctor from Pennsylvania claimed she died of a blood clot in her lung. There was no autopsy until 1999. She was 55. Despite her persistent illnesses, she continued to perform until shortly before her death and had other performances scheduled. Wynette's funeral was held on April 9, 1998 and, at the same time, a public memorial service was under way at Nashville's original Grand Ole Opry building (Ryman Auditorium). Her death solicited commentary such as songwriter Bill Mack's commentary, quoted in the Dallas Morning News , that she was a "class act," and "irreplaceable," and that, "She never knew a flat note." Lee Ann Womack was quoted also; she said of Wynette, whose songs often evoked strength and controlled passion, "You knew she knew what she was singing about. You can put her records on and listen and learn so much." Wynette was survived by her husband George Richey, four daughters and eight grandchildren. [7]
The coroner later declared that she died of a cardiac arrhythmia, one year after her death upon examining her in an autopsy. She is interred in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Nashville.

[John Connor]

From Wikipaedia:

Her death solicited commentary such as songwriter Bill Mack's commentary, quoted in the Dallas Morning News , that she was a "class act," and "irreplaceable," and that, "She never knew a flat note." Lee Ann Womack was quoted also; she said of Wynette, whose songs often evoked strength and controlled passion, "You knew she knew what she was singing about. You can put her records on and listen and learn so much." Wynette was survived by her husband George Richey, four daughters and eight grandchildren. [7]
The coroner later declared that she died of a cardiac arrhythmia, one year after her death upon examining her in an autopsy. She is interred in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Nashville.

So very true.