Ray Stevens Became Widower after More than 60 Years of Marriage: His Daughter Is 'Grateful for the Life' with Dad

• Ray Stevens was married to his wife for more than 60 years.

• Now he is a single father of two daughters, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

The country singer shared the news of his wife's death with his fans via his Facebook page on January 1, 2022. The post garnered many wishes of condolences from fans and fellow artists alike.

It is now the one-year anniversary of his wife's death, and Stevens is left with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to keep him company and help him remember his wife.

Stevens shared in the post that his wife had passed away on New Year's Eve in their home at the age of 78. The announcement came after Stevens called off his New Year's Eve show to spend time with his wife.

The post revealed that Ragsdale had endured a long battle with cancer and finally passed away just a few minutes before midnight on December 31.

Days before her death, another statement on Stevens' Facebook page revealed that Ragsdale's health was so fragile that she would die soon, and Stevens was "devastated".

Ragsdale is survived by her husband, two daughters, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Stevens and Ragdales' daughter, Suzi, followed in her father's musical footsteps and has built a career in the music industry.

Although she now has the career she always dreamed of, Suzi mentioned that being Stevens' daughter slowed her career down at the start. She said that he had a great knowledge of music, which helped her, but she was also left with difficult situations because of her name.

Talking about what it was like to break into the music industry as the daughter of one of the most-beloved musicians of all time, Suzi said:

“As far as growing up with him as a dad and falling in love with this business, he taught me a lot. But ... it hasn't opened doors with people wanting to give me a record deal. However, I’m very grateful for the life I’ve had; the advantages and inside track have been great.”

Suzi's music is different from her father's and her first CD collection, which was released in 2016, was a mix of pop and rock 'n roll. Although it is different from what her father used to do, he has been supportive of her style.

Stevens praised his daughter for her collection in 2016 and bought her a large bouquet of flowers to mark the occasion. However, he told Suzi: "Your mom made me," referring to the flowers he bought. Otherwise, he would not have done it.