On October 4, 2022, country music lost an icon when Loretta Lynn passed away at 90 years old. Loving her time in country music and under the spotlight, the singer never stopped performing and produced hits like “Hey Loretta”, “The Pill”, and her famous song “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” And back in 1980, Lynn watched her iconic song transition to the silver screen when adapted into a Hollywood film. Released on March 7, 1980, the film not only offered fans a glimpse into her life before and after stardom, but came packed with a stellar cast.
Directed by Michael Apted and written by Tom Rickman, Coal Miner’s Daughter featured stars like Tommy Lee Jones, Levon Helm, Beverly D’Angelo, and for the part of Lynn, actress Sissy Spacek. Opening in nearly 800 movie theaters, the film’s production cost around $15 million to make and brought in over $67 million at the box office. Considered a hit, the National Film Registry decided to preserve the film in 2019.
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As for the stars that made up the film, the Academy Awards showered Spacek with accolades as she won an Academy Award for Best Actress. At the 38th Golden Globes Awards, Coal Miner’s Daughter walked away with Best Actress and Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
[RELATED: 3 Songs Shel Silverstein Wrote for Loretta Lynn]
Loretta Lynn Never Wanted “Anything Too Fancy”
Although thrilled about the success that followed the song over the years, Lynn once discussed how she thought nobody would be interested. She said, “I didn’t think anybody’d be interested in my life. I know everybody’s got a life, and they all have something to say. Everybody has a story about their life. It wasn’t just me. I guess I was just the one that told it.”
While growing up poor, Lynn watched her life go from Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to performing on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry. Never losing sight of where she came from and the sacrifices she made, Lynn insisted she was still the same person. “I know what it’s like to have nothing and what it’s like to have anything I want. But I don’t want anything. Really, I’m not that much to put up with. I’m just a plain, old person. I don’t want anything too fancy.”
(Photo by Ken Bank /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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