Loretta Lynn has canceled her remaining 2017 tour dates and postponed her upcoming album as the 85-year-old singer recovers from a stroke earlier this year. The singer has written an open letter to her fans explaining that recovery is taking longer than expected.
“Thank you so much for all of your prayers, love, and support. I’m happy to say that I’m at home with my family and getting better by the day! My main focus now is making a full recovery so that I can get back to putting all of me into what I love, sharing my music with all of you,” Lynn says in a statement.
“My new album, Wouldn’t It Be Great, was originally scheduled to come in August this year. I now want to wait to release it next year because this record is so special for me. It deserves me at my best and I can’t wait to share it. I want to thank everyone for hanging in there with me. I am getting stronger every day and can’t wait to get back out there with all of you. I’m just letting everybody know that Willie ain’t dead yet and neither am I, and I can’t wait to see all of you on the road!”
“I want to thank everyone for hanging in there with me.”
Lynn was hospitalized on May 4th after suffering from a stroke at her Hurricane Mills home. The legendary country singer was sent to a Nashville area rehab facility a couple of weeks later where she continued to improve.
Wouldn’t It Be Great, her most personal album to date, was set for an August 18th release via Sony Legacy Recordings. The album was recorded at Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee and features 13 tracks written or co-written by Lynn. The singer performed two sold out birthday shows at the Ryman Auditorium on April 14th and 15th.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville will feature Lynn as one of their main exhibits as part of their 50th anniversary commemoration. The exhibit is focused on Lynn’s life, art and music and runs August 25th through June 2018.
