Loretta Lynn Cried Being Away from Her Family Yet She Overcame Challenges with Support of Dozens of Offspring

• Loretta Lynn was a matriarch of a big brood who is now orphaned without their beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

• Loretta Lynn's fame was worth the many tears of her and her family.

• She was unstoppable until her death, supported by dozens of her beloved offspring.

Loretta Lynn passed away on October 4, 2022. Her family released a statement saying that she had passed away peacefully in her sleep. She passed away on her ranch in Hurricane Mills.

Since the family announced the country icon's death, tributes from fans and friends have come pouring in. However, nobody was more affected by her passing than her beloved family, to whom she dedicated much time.

The announcement was made via Lynn's multiple social media channels. After sharing the news with the world, the family asked that they be given privacy and time to mourn their matriarch.

Lynn became the matriarch of this large brood when she married Oliver Lynn and welcomed six children with him, who have all gone on to have their own children and grandchildren. She became a grandmother at 34.

Lynn and her husband were married for 48 years and were separated only by his death in 1996. They got married when Lynn was only 15 and had welcomed four children by the time she turned 20.

The couple remained together despite rumors of his infidelity and domestic violence exacted against Lynn. Lynn expressed her experience in her autobiography, saying:

"He never hit me one time that I didn't hit him back twice."

Lynn remained a faithful wife and mother throughout her life. Her career in country music only began later in her life, but even as she skyrocketed to fame, she was devoted to her family.

Lynn Was a Housewife

Before she rose to fame, Lynn was a stay-at-home mom. She shared that she had become a housewife at fifteen and grew her own garden as she washed their laundry on a board and cooked on a coal stove. Talking about her experiences having to grow up so soon, Lynn shared:

"That's what's real. I know how to survive."

She also mentioned that she lived a middle-aged life when she was a teenager and a teenage life when she was middle-aged. The singer also confessed that she had no idea where babies came from until she conceived her first child.

As she did her duties as a housewife while her husband worked, she used music as solace. However, she did not realize she was talented because everybody in her hometown sang.

One day, her husband heard her singing as she did her housework and told her how talented she was. He bought her a $17 harmony guitar, and she began exploring her musical talents.

Lynn's four eldest children were with them as they struggled to make ends meet before she rose to fame, and she once revealed that she was grateful that they knew what life was like before fame and fortune.

However, Lynn's youngest twin daughters were born into a more comfortable life, and she said they did not experience the struggle the other children faced as they grew up.

Fame Cost Lynn Family Time

Although fame had brought the family more comfort and security, it had cost Lynn time with her family. She worked often and could not spend as much time with her children as she would have liked.

Lynn mentioned that for the first ten years of her children's lives, she was always around, but when she shot to stardom, her touring schedule was grueling, and she spent a lot of time away from her family.

She was in show business for two years when she fell pregnant with her twins and expressed how difficult it was to keep up with her career while pregnant. She shared:

"I'd play shows right up until the babies was born, and that guitar around my neck just about killed me. I don't advise it to any mother."

Despite her busy schedule, Lynn ensured that she made as much time for her family as possible. She was always sure to be home for special occasions and was devastated when she could not return home for Christmas one year.

Her tour bus got stuck in Texas just days before Christmas, and she had to face the reality that her children would be waking up without her on Christmas morning. Although it was hard, she knew she had to make it work.

Lynn tried her best to make up for the time she missed with her children, but she knew she could not always succeed. She admitted:

"You never catch up on the lost time. That time's gone."

Later in life, Lynn spent more time with her family, who grew larger with each passing year. On holidays, Lynn's entire family would spend time with her at her home.

The country star had four surviving children, 20 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren by 2016, and her family has grown since then, too. All of these family members would spend the holidays together.

The family had become larger than ever before, and Lynn relished the time she got to spend with them. When asked how she deals with the noise of all the grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, Lynn quipped:

"I just put stoppers in my ears!"

Lynn's Family Followed in Her Footsteps

Lynn's first child, Betty Sue Lynn, helped her mother write music and was her mother's best friend. She was a mother to two children herself but tragically passed away young in 2013. Her cause of death was listed as emphysema.

Jack Benny Lynn, Lynn's first son, did not pursue a career in entertainment like his family but was a blacksmith and horse trainer instead. His love for horses led to his death as he passed away from drowning after falling from his horse in 1984.

Lynn's second daughter, Clara "Cissie" Marie Lynn, also worked with her mother on many occasions throughout the years and recorded a cover album of her singing all her mother's old songs.

Ernest Ray Lynn, Lynn's second son, is a performer who opened for his mother many times throughout their careers. However, aside from his life in the music industry, he spends most of his life in the limelight.

Peggy and Patsy Lynn, Lynn's twin daughters and the youngest of the brood, became the most successful of the Lynn children. They built a successful music career for themselves and worked as actresses several times.

In 2017, Lynn suffered a stroke and a broken hip, but she didn't let it get her down and remained active both in her private and professional life. She also loved spending time with her family at her home in Hurricane Mills.