Country music icon Jeannie Seely has died at the age of 85, her representative confirmed on August 1, 2025.
The Grammy-winning singer passed away at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, from complications of an intestinal infection.
Seely had faced significant health challenges in 2025, including multiple back surgeries, emergency abdominal operations, pneumonia, and an extended ICU stay. Her death follows the loss of her husband, Gene Ward, who died of cancer in December 2024.
Best known for her 1966 hit “Don’t Touch Me,” Seely enjoyed a decades-long career in country music. Her soulful voice earned her the nickname “Miss Country Soul”, and she became a Grammy Award winner and a key figure in Grand Ole Opry history, with a record 5,397 performances.
Born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1940, Seely moved to Nashville in 1965 and signed with Monument Records. She became an Opry member in 1967, later breaking barriers as the first woman to host an Opry segment in 1985.
Seely also co-wrote songs like “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)” and recorded duets with Jack Greene. Despite a serious car accident in 1977 and a career lull in the '80s, she continued recording and performing well into her 80s.
Seely is survived by extended family, friends, and her beloved cat, Corrie. The August 2 Grand Ole Opry show will be dedicated in her memory.
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