Patsy Cline Made Her Final TV Appearance on This Day in 1963—Five Days Before the Tragic Plane Crash That Ended Her Life

In many ways, Patsy Cline was country music’s original female firebrand. Before crossover hits were a foregone conclusion, she dominated both the country and pop charts with songs like “Walking After Midnight”. Undaunted by the “good ol’ boys” club atmosphere in Nashville in the 1950s and early ’60s, she was the first woman to receive top billing above the male artists performing with her. Then, at just 30 years old, a 1963 plane crash ended her life.

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We can only speculate what other gems Patsy Cline may have brought to the world. And when you view her final TV performance on The Glenn Reeves Show—which took place on this day (Feb. 28) in 1963—it isn’t difficult to see the heartbreaking beauty of what could have been.

Relive Patsy Cline’s Final Televised Performance

Patsy Cline appeared unruffled as she took the stage during The Glenn Reeves Show. First, the Country Music Hall of Famer delivered her version of Bob Wills’ “San Antonio Rose.”

The Virginia native followed with one of her signature songs, 1961’s “I Fall to Pieces.” Watch below as she sings with great yearning. I fall to pieces / Each time I see you again / I fall to pieces / How can I be just your friend?

Nearly two years earlier, “I Fall to Pieces” had peaked atop the Hot Country Songs chart in August 1961. It also climbed to No. 12 on the Hot 100, and No. 6 on the adult contemporary chart.

The Plane Crash

Tragedy struck just five days later on March 5, 1963. Traveling aboard a small Piper PA-24 Comanche plane, Patsy Cline was headed home to Nashville after a performance in Kansas City, Kansas.

Shortly after stopping to refuel in Rogers, Arkansas, pilot Ramsey “Randy” Hughes lost control of the plane due to low visibility. The aircraft crashed into a wooded, swampy area 5 miles east of Camden, Tennessee.

Both Hughes and Cline died, along with Cline’s fellow country singers, Harold “Hawkshaw” Hawkins and Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1963, Patsy Cline Recorded the Crossover Hit She Called “The First and Last”—One Month Before Her Untimely Death]

Cline’s shocking death rocked the country music world. Loretta Lynn, the “Crazy” singer’s good friend and mentee, described hearing the news as “like a rug had been pulled out from under me.”

“When I heard that morning that Patsy was gone, I said out loud, ‘What am I going to do?’” Lynn later told People. “She was my friend, my mentor, my strength.”

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