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Anderson, who had recently returned from a trip to Italy, was
admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Thursday for
treatment of pneumonia and died later in the day, spokesman Mark
Logsdon said.
“Lynn is blooming in God’s rose garden now,” fellow country star
Dolly Parton said after learning of Anderson's death. “We will
miss her and remember her fondly."
Born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the daughter of noted
songwriters Casey and Liz Anderson was raised in California,
where she began her singing career and also developed into a
world-champion equestrian.
Anderson gained her first success in the 1960s, breaking into
the country charts with two of her mother's compositions, "Ride,
Ride, Ride" and "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)," and
following up with the top five hits "Promises, Promises" and
"That's a No No."
After landing a prime-time spot as a weekly regular on "The
Lawrence Welk Show," Anderson moved to Nashville, signed with
Columbia Records and recorded the biggest hit of her career, "(I
Never Promised You a) Rose Garden," a song written and
originally recorded in the 1960s by Joe South.
The catchy single topped the country charts, climbed to No. 3 on
the pop rankings and earned Anderson a Grammy for best female
country vocal.
Although Anderson never recaptured the crossover success she
attained with "Rose Garden," she went on to chart over a dozen
more country tunes through the 1970s, including "How Can I
Unlove You," "You're My Man," "Keep Me in Mind" and "What a Man,
My Man Is."
Eddie Stubbs, Grand Ole Opry announcer and disc jockey for WSM-AM
in Nashville, said Anderson's two-year stint as a fixture on
"Lawrence Welk" made her a pioneering ambassador for Nashville
at a time when country music received relatively little exposure
on network television.
According to Logsdon, she ultimately sold more than 30 million
albums worldwide. She was twice named female vocalist of the
year by the Academy of Country Music and earned the same honor
from the Country Music Association.
Not long before her death, Anderson had released an album titled
"Bridges," a collection of gospel songs that included “Drift
Away,” written by Anderson's longtime partner, Mentor Williams.
(Editing by Steve Gorman and Eric Beech)
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