Jeannie Seely, one of the longest-serving members of the Grand Ole Opry, died on Friday (June 1).

A statement from her publicity team announced that her death was the result of complications from an intestinal infection. She had been facing health issues for almost a year, and those issues got worse after her husband, Gene Ward, died in December. Seely's career began when she started performing on local TV and radio stations before she was a teenager. She moved to California after high school, where she began to write songs that were recorded by other artists, including R&B singer Irma Thomas, Connie Smith, Dottie West and more. Her breakthrough came after she moved to Nashville in 1965 and began working with Porter Wagoner on his television show and on the road. In 1966, Seely signed with Monument Records and released her first solo hit, "Don't Touch Me," which won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance. Seely's acting career started with a cameo role in Willie Nelson's Honeysuckle Rose in 1980. Jeannie Seely was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1967. Her final show took place on February 22, 2025, marking her 5,397th time playing the Opry.