On this day (March 3) in 1963, Patsy Cline joined several members of the Grand Ole Opry at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, for a benefit show. She, George Jones, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas, Dottie West, and others were gathered to perform a benefit show for popular radio DJ “Cactus” Jack Hall, who had died in a car accident. No one knew that it would be Cline’s final concert.
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According to Lamont at Large, Cline wasn’t originally on the bill for the benefit show. However, advance tickets for the event were selling slowly. As a result, she was asked to join the lineup.
At the time, Cline’s career was on the rise. In 1961, she had a string of hits with the timeless classics “I Fall to Pieces,” “Crazy,” and “She’s Got You.” These hits helped bolster her career and made her a major draw.
On the day of the show, Cline was fighting the flu. However, that didn’t stop her from taking the stage three times that day. She performed at 2 PM, 5:15 PM, and 8 PM. All reports say her voice was just as clear and strong as usual.
She was slated to fly back to Nashville the next day. However, poor weather conditions forced her and a handful of other artists to stay in Kansas City for an extra day.
Patsy Cline Knew the End Was Near
Patsy Cline began sharing premonitions of her death with her friends around 1962, roughly a year after the 1961 car accident that nearly took her life. She told Loretta Lynn she believed her days were numbered. Then, just days before the tragic plane crash that killed her, she told Dottie West, “Don’t worry about me. When it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go.”
She spoke those ominous words in the hours after the benefit concert when West invited Cline to join her and her husband on their drive back to Nashville. Instead, Cline chose to return to her hotel, wait for better weather, and fly home.
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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