I Won’t Ever See Patsy Cline the Same After Learning About How She Treated Loretta Lynn in Her Early Career Days

Learning how a world-famous performer acts offstage can sometimes diminish their image, especially if their behavior is rude or harmful. But for some performers, stories of their words and actions that only a few people were around to witness make them all the more endearing and inspiring. Based on the recollections of her former mentee and friend, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline certainly fell in the latter category.

Videos by American Songwriter

On stage, Cline was confident in her heartbreak, defiantly tender, and a standalone talent. Although some rumors used to spring up in the late 1950s about Cline being standoffish, many of those closest to her said she just tended to be a loner. Pair that with a stubborn work ethic and an unapologetic brazenness necessary to get ahead in the music industry, and it’s easy to see why some people found Cline to be intimidating.

But for Lynn, she found a fast friend in the “I Fall To Pieces” singer. The two women bonded while Cline was in the hospital after a near-fatal car crash. Cline heard Lynn dedicate a song to her on the radio, and the performance moved Cline so deeply that she arranged for Lynn to meet her. From there, Cline remained a fiercely loyal and surprisingly generous friend to Lynn. If the extraordinary talent of Cline’s singing voice wasn’t enough to make you fall in love with her, then maybe Lynn’s anecdotes will do the trick.

Patsy Cline Was Like a Big Sister to Loretta Lynn

Patsy Cline was a well-established name in the country music world by the time Loretta Lynn was getting her start. After the pair met in the hospital, Cline effectively took Lynn under her wing. When fellow female musicians began to gang up on Lynn, jealous over her rising success, Cline locked arms with her, defying those women to also gang up on her. (And of course, they didn’t.) But Cline was more than just a colleague to Lynn. In Lynn’s memoir, Coal Miner’s Daughter, the singer painted a touching picture of the relationship she shared with the late, great Patsy Cline.

“She taught me a lot of things about show business, like how to go on to a stage and how to get off,” Lynn wrote. “She even bought me a lot of clothes. Many times, when she bought something for herself, she would buy me the same thing. She gave me rhinestones. I thought they were real diamonds. And I still have the dresses she bought me, hanging in my closet. She even bought curtains and drapes for my house because I was too broke to buy them. And she offered to pay me to go on the road with her just to keep her company. She was a great human being and a great friend.”

Lynn continued in Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story Of Patsy Cline, “She was my closest friend. She was the one person, other than my husband, I could turn to in a crisis. Patsy was strong-willed and always taking up for me. If it hadn’t been for her, I don’t think I would have lasted.”

A True Girl’s Girl, Paid Forward

In the hyper-competitive music industry, gatekeeping and bullying run rampant. Those who are insecure about their own talents or jealous of others might be inclined to undermine, belittle, or ostracize people they perceive to be threats. But Patsy Cline’s behavior toward Loretta Lynn showed more than a kind heart. It showed confidence. Cline knew she belonged on the other side of that gate, so she had no reason to hold it shut so other women couldn’t come in after her. There was room for everyone.

One way Lynn continued to honor Cline after her tragically premature death was to carry on this generous “girl’s girl” spirit. “I made a point of it when new girls came along to give ‘em all a chance,” Lynn wrote in her memoir. “Because I wouldn’t treat anybody the way they treated me,” referencing women who tried to damage Lynn’s career early on. “If you’re good, you’re gonna make it.”

Cline likely thought so, too.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images