Loretta Lynn's eldest granddaughter dies after 'difficult health battle,' family says
The family of late country legend Loretta Lynn announced the death of her eldest granddaughter, Lynn Massey, on Friday.
Alongside a photo of Massey standing and smiling in front of her grandmother's vinyl records, an Instagram post read, "Betty Sue's daughter Lynn Massey, Loretta's first grandchild, passed away this week after a long and difficult health battle."
"Our family is so grateful for the prayers and love continually shown to us," the caption continued.
Fans and followers filled the comments section of the post to offer their condolences.
A representative for the family told ABC News on Sunday in a statement that Massey died last Tuesday.
"She was Loretta’s first grandchild and only 11 months younger than Loretta’s twin daughters, her youngest children," the statement read. "Lynn was 59 years old."
Massey was the daughter of Betty Sue Lynn, who was the eldest child of Loretta Lynn. She died in 2013 at the age of 64 from complications of emphysema, according to The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Loretta Lynn died at the age of 90 in October 2022.
In addition to Betty Sue Lynn, the "You Ain't Woman Enough" singer shared five more children with husband Oliver Lynn, including Jack, Ernest, Clara, Patsy and Peggy. Jack died in 1984 at the age of 34, according to Loretta Lynn's website.
"It about killed me when I lost him," Lynn wrote on her site in July 2022, just a few months before her own death. "My team asked me if we should keep posting each year on the anniversary of his death and I say absolutely. I love it when we remember him. I love hearing his name, stories about him, and seeing that others haven't forgotten him."
Earlier this year, Loretta Lynn's granddaughter, Emmy Russell, honored her late grandmother with a moving performance on "American Idol."
The season 22 contestant sang Loretta Lynn's iconic song "Coal Miner's Daughter," a song chosen for her by judge Katy Perry, on the April 29 episode.
Before she took to the stage, Russell said in a taped package, "I love singing from the heart, and I think this is a perfect song for that. I mean, it's my grandma's song -- can't get much closer to the heart than your own blood."
"I need to be proud that I am a granddaughter of Loretta Lynn," she added at the time. "I'm proud to be a coal miner's great-granddaughter."
