Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Singer Jeannie Seely, who helped transform the image of women in country music, has died. She was 85.
Seely died Friday in a hospice in the Nashville area, the Country Music Association said, and her publicist, Don Murray Grubbs told told The Tennessean that she died after an intestinal infection.
Seely made her debut at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry in 1966 when she was 25, going on to make 5,397 appearances, including her last appearance on Feb. 22, more than any other performer appearing there.
"While I've had the privilege of working with Jeannie Seely over the past 25 years, my immediate grief is deeply personal," Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern said. "She mentored countless artists, especially women, and while they learned from her confidence and wit, she reminded us she was learning from them too. That humility was part of her magic."
Seely became the first woman to host the Grand Ole Opry show, and in 1985 was the first woman to host a half-segment of the Opry.
