(PCM) Lynn Anderson, the first female country musician to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden, died on Thursday, July 30, 2015 of a heart attack.
Anderson’s publicist, Mark Logsdon, told CNN that the singer had been admitted to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville and was receiving treatment for pneumonia when she suffered her fatal heart attack.
Lynn Anderson was one of the most popular country music stars of the 1970s, gaining worldwide fame after the major success of her crossover hit “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden” in 1970.
Born on September 26, 1947 in Grand Forks, North Dakota to country music songwriters Casey and Liz Anderson, Lynn first found success in horse shows in California, winning numerous titles and ribbons, including 16 national champions, 8 world championships, and several celebrity championships.
Lynn Anderson released her debut single “For Better or for Worse” in 1966 to little airplay before releasing “Ride, Ride, Ride” in 1967, landing on the Country Top 40 in 1967. That same year, Anderson released “If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)”, which reached the Top 5 on the Country charts.
Lynn Anderson continued to release a string of hits into the late ’60s and early 70’s and appeared regularly on The Lawrence Welk Show. The singer’s biggest hit, “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden”, a song by singer-songwriter Joe South, reached No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart.
Anderson almost didn’t get a chance to record the classic; her producer-husband believed that a man ought to sing the song, but fortunately, Columbia executive Clive Davis made the executive decision to have Anderson record and release the single.
Due to the song’s global success and crossover appeal, Anderson continued to have a fulfilling career, releasing hits into the late ’70s and appearing on numerous television shows.
Lynn Anderson released her last album, Bridges, on June 9, 2015. She is survived by her father, Casey Anderson, her partner, Mentor Williams, her three children, and four grandchildren.