Jeannie Seely, who was one of the longest-serving members in Grand Ole Opry history, died on Friday evening (Aug. 1.)
A statement from the star’s publicity team announced her death, which was the result of complications from an intestinal infection.
The statement also reveals that she had been facing health issues for almost a year, and that those issues ramped up after her husband, Gene Ward, died in December.
Seely underwent multiple surgeries for back issues in March 2025, and in April, she was hospitalized and underwent two abdominal surgeries. She subsequently spent 11 days in the ICU and endured a bout with pneumonia.
Read More: Jeannie Seely Undergoes Two Surgeries, ICU Stay
She opened up about the experience on social media at the time, giving fans an upbeat and humor-filled look into her recovery.
“Rehab is pretty tough but each day is looking brighter,” she said in May, “and last night, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. And it was neon, so I knew it was mine!”
A Long Life of Country Music
Seely was born Marilyn Jeanne Seely on July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Penn. She began performing on local TV and radio stations before she was a teenager.
Seely moved to California after high school, where she began to write songs that were cut by other artists, including R&B singer Irma Thomas, Connie Smith, Dottie West and more.
She signed with Challenge Records and recorded three unsuccessful singles in 1964, but her commercial breakthrough didn’t come until after she moved to Nashville in 1965, where she began working with Porter Wagoner on his television show and on the road.
In 1966, Seely signed with Monument Records and released her first solo hit, “Don’t Touch Me,” which reached No. 2 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart and won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance.
Seely would go on to a string of hits that included “It’s Only Love,” “A Wanderin’ Man,” “I’ll Love You More (Than You Need),” “Can I Sleep in Your Arms” and more.
She also placed several hit duets with Jack Greene, including “Wish I Didn’t Have to Miss You,” “Much Oblige” and “What in the World Has Gone Wrong With Our Love.”
1973’s “Can I Sleep in Your Arms” proved Seely’s final Top 10 hit, but she remained active in the studio until a 1977 car accident sidelined her.
She resumed her recording career with some well-respected releases years later, including Life’s Highway in 2003, 2017’s Written in Song and An American Classic in 2020.
Seely also pursued an acting career, beginning with a cameo role in Willie Nelson‘s Honeysuckle Rose in 1980. She also appeared in a 2022 film titled Changing Hearts, as well as Nashville stage productions of Takin’ It Home (1986), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1988), Everybody Loves Opal (1990), Always Patsy Cline (2001) and more.
Seely married country songwriter Hank Cochran in 1969. The couple divorced in 1979.
She married prominent Nashville attorney Gene Ward in 2010, and the couple remained wed until his death in December of 2024, which came after a long on-and-off battle with cancer.
Read More: Jeannie Seely’s Husband Dies After Cancer Battle
Jeannie Seely was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1967, and she served as its oldest working member in her later years, performing at the country music institution regularly.
An Incredible Grand Ole Opry Legacy
Seely’s final Opry show took place on Feb. 22, 2025, marking her 5,397th time playing the hallowed stage. She played the Grand Ole Opry more times than any other artist in the venue’s history.
Saturday night’s (Aug. 2) Grand Ole Opry show will be dedicated to her memory.
Family and Memorial Information
Seely is survived by numerous friends, family members and fans, as well as her cat, Corrie.
In addition to Ward and her parents Leo and Irene Seely, she is preceded in death by siblings Donald Seely, Bernard Seely and Mary Lou Seely Lang.
Information on her memorial service will be announced in the coming days.
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