Grand Ole Opry Member Jean Shepard Dead at 82

The Grand Ole Opry has lost its matriarch with the passing this morning of longtime member Jean Shepard at the age of 82.

Written by Chuck Dauphin
Grand Ole Opry Member Jean Shepard Dead at 82

The Grand Ole Opry has lost its matriarch with the passing this morning of longtime member Jean Shepard at the age of 82. “Today is one of the hardest days of my life. Mom has been called home this morning and is now at peace. Please keep our family in your prayers during this tough time. Thank you everyone for your support,” said the singer’s son, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Jr., in a statement.

Born Ollie Imogene Shepard on November 21, 1933 in Oklahoma, she moved to Visalia, California at an early age. She started to hone her talents in The Melody Ranch Girls in the mid-1940’s, where she was discovered by Hank Thompson. With the singer of such hits as “The Wild Side Of Life” in her corner, she signed with Ken Nelson and Capitol Records in 1952.

Her first release failed to chart, but success would soon come with “A Dear John Letter,” a duet with fellow rising star Ferlin Husky, which made the airplay lists in 1953, and sold a million copies. However, there was one problem when it came to promoting the song. Shepard was still technically a minor. So, Husky – notorious for his charismatic carousing – stepped in and became her guardian, and arrangement that turned out well, Shepard said in interviews.

In 1955 – able to sign a legal contract on her own – she inked a deal to join the cast of ABC’s Ozark Jubilee, which raised her profile considerably. The hits continued to come for the singer, with “A Satisified Mind,” “Beautiful Lies,” and “I Thought Of You” being three of her biggest from that era, leading to an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry – where she would stay for an amazing six decades.

In 1960, the singer made headlines with her marriage to fellow Opry star Hawkshaw Hawkins. Though the two didn’t record together, fans became enamored with their love story through their live concert appearances together. Pregnant with their second child, tragedy struck in March 1963 with Hawkins’ death in a plane crash in Camden, TN while returning from a benefit concert performance. The son, Hawkshaw, Jr., was born a month later.

After Hawkins’ passing, Shepard placed her focus back onto her recording career. “Second Fiddle (To An Old Guitar)” – featuring a Shepard yodel – hit the top ten in 1964, and led to a career resurgence that included hits such as “If Teardrops Were Silver” and “Many Happy Hangovers To You.” Her hits continued into the 1970s, with a top-five hit on Bill Anderson’s “Slippin’ Away.” Her final chart appearance came in 1978 with “The Real Thing,” which peaked at No. 85.

Though her hit-making days were behind her, Shepard still maintained a busy touring schedule, and continued to play the Opry stage, where she celebrated six decades as a member last November. In declining health for some time, the singer entered Hospice care late last week, and passed away this morning (September 25). A 2011 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Shepard released her autobiography, Down Through The Years, in 2014.