Country music legend Jeannie Seely, known as “Miss Country Soul,” has died at 85 after months of declining health. A Grammy winner and Grand Ole Opry star, Seely’s six-decade career helped bridge traditional and modern country music. She performed on the Opry stage over 5,300 times—more than anyone else in history.
Seely rose from small-town Pennsylvania to Nashville stardom with her 1966 hit “Don’t Touch Me,” earning a Grammy and Opry membership shortly after. She was the first woman to host the Opry and remained one of its most beloved figures.
She passed peacefully in Tennessee from complications of an intestinal infection, just months after losing her husband, Gene Ward. Her humility, authenticity, and devotion to country music leave an enduring legacy.
