Crystal Gayle + Peggy Sue Wright Tribute Late Sister Loretta Lynn at CMT Artists of the Year [Watch]
Crystal Gayle and her sister, Peggy Sue Wright, paid musical tribute to their late sister, Loretta Lynn, with a special performance at the 2022 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony in Nashville. The pair joined together to honor Lynn with a rendition of her career-defining song, "Coal Miner's Daughter."
Gayle and Wright took the stage at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville on Wednesday night (Oct. 12), following an emotional introduction from Tanya Tucker, who remembered Lynn as her "hero" and a "truly great, great friend."
Loretta Lynn died on Oct. 4, 2022, at the age of 90. Fellow Kentucky native Carly Pearce was visibly teary-eyed as Gayle said, "You know, the world lost a legend. We lost a sister."
"And as I look out into the audience, I see so many faces that my sister considered friends," Gayle added. "And in her words, 'Love you, honey.'"
Gayle and Wright delivered a stark, emotional rendition of "Coal Miner's Daughter," with Gayle singing lead and Wright adding high harmonies to the song that pays tribute to their own father and his struggles in raising a large family in poverty in Kentucky.
A video wall at the back of the stage flashed pictures and video from Lynn's decades-long career as her sisters sang, adding to the personal and intimate nature of the performance.
"Love you, Loretta," Gayle said at the close of the song.
Released in 1970, "Coal Miner's Daughter" gave Lynn a No. 1 hit, and it's her most widely recognized song. She titled her 1976 autobiography after the song, and a biopic by the same name followed in 1980. Sissy Spacek earned an Academy Award for Best Actress for her uncanny portrayal of Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter.
The 2022 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony honored Pearce, Kane Brown, Cody Johnson, Luke Combs and Walker Hayes as Artists of the Year. Lainey Wilson also received the Breakout Artist of the Year award, while Alan Jackson was on hand to receive CMT's Artist of a Lifetime honors. The show aired on CMT on Friday night (Oct. 14).