Loretta Lynn Once Said Dolly Parton Talked ‘the Same Hillbilly Language’ as Her

Dolly Parton seems easy to get along with, especially for late country music legend Loretta Lynn who said they spoke “the same hillbilly language.”

Keep reading to learn more about their decades of sisterhood and why Lynn “especially” liked Parton. Plus, find out how Parton paid tribute to Lynn after receiving news she died “peacefully” at home.

Loretta Lynn died ‘peacefully’ in her sleep at home, according to her family

On October 4, 2022, Lynn’s family released a brief statement to inform fans of her death and ask for privacy. “Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, in her sleep at home at her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills,” they revealed in an announcement on Twitter.

“The family has asked for privacy during this time, as they grieve,” they added.

Wynonna Judd, whose mother Naomi Judd also died in 2022, was among the country stars to honor Lynn. “Rest In Peace my beloved ‘Retty,’” she wrote on Twitter. “I will always love you.”

Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton were friends who spoke the same ‘hillbilly language’

After arriving in Nashville in 1960, Lynn built close friendships with other country music stars like Patsy Cline. And she once revealed that, after many years, she uniquely meshed with Parton.

“I get along with all the women singers, but especially Dolly Parton,” she said (per Southern Living). “We talk the same hillbilly language.”

Following news of Lynn’s death, Parton lamented the loss of her “sister friend” in a statement and shared, “We’ve been like sisters all the years we’ve been in Nashville …”

She added, “… She was a wonderful human being, wonderful talent, had millions of fans and I’m one of them. I miss her dearly as we all will. May she rest in peace.”

Loretta Lynn’s career took ‘hillbilly language’ to the top

Lynn made a name for herself as a trailblazer for women in the country music genre. Raised in a coal mining town in Kentucky and possessing natural talent, she married young and had some of her six kids before she and her husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn, landed in Nashville.

After joining the Opry in 1962, Lynn was putting out hits like “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’” by the mid-’60s. Notably, some of her songs, like “The Pill” and “Rated X,” are considered feminist anthems that explore womanhood from different perspectives. But “Coal Miner’s Daughter” became one of her defining hits, leading to an autobiography and a hit movie based on her story.

Eventually, Lynn formed a collaborative partnership with Conway Twitty, and the two released some of the most famous duets in country music. But when receiving the Kennedy Center Honor in 2013, she told the Tennessean that she didn’t quite understand what “cultural contributions” she had made.

 “I was just sayin’ it like I was livin’ it,” she explained. “People’d go around that, but I went right through the middle.”

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