Opry Legend Jeannie Seely’s Cause Of Death Revealed
Grand Ole Opry legend Jeannie Seely has died at 85. (Photo credit: Jason Davis/Getty Images)
Country music legend Jeannie Seely died Friday, August 1, at the age of 85.
Jeannie Seely rose to fame in the late 1960’s with her Grammy Award-winning hit song “Don’t Touch Me.” She became a Grand Ole Opry icon as the first woman to ever host the radio program. She would go on to appear on the iconic stage 5,397 times – more than any other artist in history.
Despite never charting a No. 1 song, Jeannie, affectionately known as “Miss Country Soul,” was one of the most admired and respected artists of the last century. Seely, a mainstay at the Opry, welcomed more than five decades of new country stars to the hallowed venue.
Carly Pearce, Lorrie Morgan, and Barabara Mandrell are among those who looked to Jeannie Seely for inspiration.
Jeannie Seely’s Cause of Death
Following Seely’s death on Friday, her publicist, Don Murray Grubbs, revealed that the singer had died at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, as a result of complications from an intestinal infection.
According to the statement, Seely had undergone “multiple back surgeries this spring for vertebrae repairs” and underwent “two emergency abdominal surgeries.”
RELATED: JEANNIE SEELY SHARES HEALTH UPDATE AFTER UNDERGOING MULTIPLE SURGERIES
At the time of her death, Seely had spent “11 days in the intensive care unit and [suffered] a bout with pneumonia.”
Country Stars Remember Jeannie Seely
Numerous artists shared photos and statements honoring Jeannie following her death. Among those were Alana Springsteen, TG Sheppard, Mark Wills, The Bellamy Brothers, Carly Pearce, Travis Tritt, The Oak Ridge Boys’ Duane Allen, and Louise Mandrell. See their tributes below.
@oakridgeboys @OpryGrandole The last date I had with my Norah Lee was with Jeannie SEELY & Gene Ward. A double date with best friends. They are all gone but me. Jeannie hosted the segment on the OPRY when we were invited to become members. My heart is broken, tonight. I loved her
— Duane Allen (@DuaneAllen32993) August 2, 2025
