Number 1 hits and running gags on "Family Guy." They may be gone, but these country legends
will live on through their music forever. And you might be able to visit their final resting place.
Kenny Rogers was one of the biggest crossover country stars of all time, with iconic hits
like "The Gambler" and the Dolly Parton duet "Islands in the Stream." He retired in 2017 after
a 60-year career and then passed away three years later at the age of 81. Because he died in 2020,
a big funeral wasn't possible. A representative for his loved ones released a statement saying,
"Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice
and surrounded by his family. The family is planning a small private service at
this time out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency. They look forward to
celebrating Kenny's life publicly with his friends and fans at a later date."
Rogers is buried at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. He doesn't have a gravestone so much as a
massive Greek temple. Sitting in a normal cemetery surrounded by smaller traditional headstones,
his gleaming black marble tomb is surrounded by six columns, topped by a marble circle
etched with his name and the words "Will the circle be unbroken," the title of
a classic country song covered by Rogers in 2011.
Johnny and June Carter Cash were country music's golden couple. His hits included
"Ring of Fire," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "I Walk the Line," while she performed with
her family band when she was a child and later recorded Grammy-winning duets with her husband.
"Johnny Cash straightened himself up really, and uh, he proposed to me on stage."
June died first,
in May 2003 at the age of 73, following heart surgery. Johnny wouldn't last long without her,
as he died that September at the age of 71.
His friend Kris Kristofferson told The Hollywood Reporter,
"He was a fighter, and he had a strong spirit, but it was the hardest thing that he probably
ever faced in his life. His kids told me that he still cried all the time at night."
The Cashes are buried at Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Their
graves are side by side with one massive flat stone covering both. It has two long plaques,
each accompanied by a biblical psalm. Both also feature their signatures in gold,
and at the head of the grave is a black marble bench.
According to the Country Music Hall of Fame,
Charley Pride was country music's "first Black superstar." But as you might expect,
breaking into the genre as a Black artist wasn't exactly easy, especially in the 1960s.
Getting a record deal kind of required a bit of subterfuge. As Pride once recalled to NPR,
"I did a dub for Jack Clement. Chet Atkins took it out to Monterey, California,
and played it for all the bigwigs there. And he said, how do you like this voice?
So they all said, it sounds good. So when he showed the picture and said he was colored,
everybody looked at one another. And unanimously, they said, well,
we still going to sign him. We ain't going to say nothing about it. And that's the way they did it."
Pride died in December 2020 at the age of 86 from Covid-19 complications. He's
buried at Calvary Hill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Dallas, Texas. However,
it's unclear if he has a memorial, or what it looks like if he does. It
might be that he died too recently for an elaborate one to have been commissioned.
Tammy Wynette was known as the "First Lady of Country Music." Among her many hit songs,
perhaps the most iconic was "Stand by Your Man." She died in 1998 at
the age of 55 from a blood clot in her lung.
Her funeral was small and private, with the mourners including fellow country
stars George Jones, Garth Brooks, and Naomi Judd. Lorrie Morgan, Randy Travis,
and the Oak Ridge Boys all performed, as did Dolly Parton, although she was reportedly so
overcome with emotion that she couldn't finish her song. Loretta Lynn was meant
to speak but was too upset to even attend. A public memorial for fans followed the funeral.
"She'll always be dear to me. She'll always be special. She'll always live in our memories."
Wynette is entombed at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville,
Tennessee. Her spot is located in the middle row, fronted by white marble and
marked with just her name and dates. But it didn't stay simple for long,
as fans and mourners have covered her tomb with images of Wynette from throughout her
life. They've also left flowers, small tokens of appreciation, and even lipstick kisses.
According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Merle Haggard was
no less than "the single most influential singer-songwriter in country music history,
with the possible exception of Hank Williams Sr. Some of his hit songs include "Okie from
Muskogee," "Mama Tried," and "Big City." He died in 2016 at the age of 79 from pneumonia.
Haggard's funeral was held at his ranch and kept extremely private. There were
performances by Kris Kristofferson, Connie Smith, and Haggard's old
bandmate Ronnie Reno. While Kristofferson was performing, the lyric sheet blew away,
and he jokingly blamed his dead friend for it, as he reportedly announced,
"Merle'd done that on purpose."
Haggard's three sons also performed one of their father's songs together. Unfortunately
for fans who might want to pay their respects, his final resting place is
just as private as his funeral was. He's buried at the Haggard Family Ranch Cemetery in Palo Cedro,
California. Because it's his family's land, you can't make it to the grave without trespassing,
and there don't seem to be any images of his gravestone anywhere online. But we
imagine it's a pretty impressive monument fit for such an icon.
Conway Twitty might be most familiar to younger
audiences as the subject of a weird running gag on Family Guy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Conway Twitty."
But before Twitty became a punchline, he was an astonishingly talented musician in his own right.
According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he had the most number one country records in
history during his lifetime, a total of 55. He was also a brilliant songwriter,
as he wrote 11 of his tunes that topped the charts. And he's known for his duets
with Loretta Lynn, including "After the Fire Is Gone" and "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man."
When Twitty died in 1993 at the age of 59, his funeral was kept private,
though thousands of fans and many country music stars turned out for his memorial.
Those who spoke included Vince Gill, George Jones, and Reba McEntire, who said,
"I used to open the show for Conway,
I loved to hear Conway close the show. I'm not ready for Conway to close the show."
And Twitty's daughter Kathy declared,
"Country lost a superstar. We lost the heart and soul of our family."
Twitty is buried at Sumner Memorial Gardens in Gallatin, Tennessee. He's
entombed in an outdoor mausoleum-style wall. His double tomb that he shares with his wife
is labeled with his real name, Harold L. Jenkins. The red marble is simple,
and the plaque with his name is decorated only with a small image of an open Bible.
Waylon Jennings was supposed to be on the plane that crashed in 1959 and was referred to as "The
Day the Music Died." Fortunately for him, he gave up his seat to someone else. After cheating death,
he went on to become a country music superstar. His hits included the Grammy-winning songs
"MacArthur Park" and "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," the latter a duet with
Willie Nelson. But in his final years, he suffered from many health issues, including losing a foot
to diabetes. He died in his sleep in 2002 at the age of 64 from complications related to diabetes.
His public memorial was quite the event, as it was billed as "I've Always Been Crazy:
A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Waylon Jennings."
Fans even wore shirts reading "Waylon F– -ing Jennings." A video of clips from his
life was played, including an appearance on the TV show Politically Incorrect.
"We don't want to impeach Clinton, but we want somebody to kick his ass."
"I think it could be you, Waylon."
Jennings is buried at City of Mesa Cemetery in Mesa,
Arizona. His tombstone has a picture of him, along with the Bible verse,
"I am my beloved's, My beloved is mine." And his epitaph reads, "A vagabond dreamer,
A rhymer and singer of songs, A revolutionary in country music, Beloved by the world."
Glen Campbell was a true country original, with hits including songs like "Gentle on My Mind
and "Rhinestone Cowboy." He died at the age of 81 in 2017, six years after he was diagnosed
with Alzheimer's. At the time of his passing, his family released a statement that read,
"The Campbell family would like to thank everyone for their enormous outpouring of
love and support. Glen was laid to rest on Wednesday in a private ceremony in
his hometown of Delight, Arkansas. A private memorial will follow."
At the memorial service, Campbell's widow Kimberly
talked about how hard it was to lose him. As she put it,
"I've been searching for that new light to emerge from the other side. Waiting
for the world to come back to life so that I can see clearly again."
Campbell is buried at Campbell's Cemetery in Billstown, Arkansas.
His large tombstone will eventually be shared with his wife and is
etched with Jewish iconography like menorahs and six-pointed stars. Under his name and dates
is "Psalm 23," which famously starts "The Lord is my shepherd" and includes the line:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
Despite a brief career, Patsy Cline managed to become one of the biggest
country icons ever. Her songs included "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy," the latter of
which is the number one jukebox hit of all time, according to the Country Music Hall of
Fame. She died in 1963 in a plane crash. She was only 30. Her funeral reportedly
drew thousands of fans from across the country. One pallbearer told reporters,
"Patsy was like a religion with them."
Cline is buried at Shenandoah Memorial Park in Frederick County,
Virginia. It's easy to miss her flat marker if you don't know the last name of her husband,
Charlie Dick. The gravestone is a double one, shared with her husband. Her side
is marked with her birth name, Virginia H., for Hensley. Her stage name is underneath in
parentheses. The epitaph reads, "Death Can Not Kill What Never Dies — Love."
"Her music – we're all here because of her music."
Hank Williams Sr. was one of the first country music superstars in America,
thanks to hits like "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Lost Highway." But then his life was
tragically cut short in 1953 when he was only 29. He struggled with substance abuse,
and he died of a heart attack in the back of a car on the way to a concert.
More than 25,000 people reportedly turned out for Williams' funeral. Since the
auditorium where it was held couldn't fit anywhere near that many people,
the audio was broadcast over loudspeakers to the crowds outside.
Williams is buried at Oakwood Annex Cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama. His gravesite is,
to put it mildly, ostentatious. His headstone is more like a huge monument,
as is that of his first wife Audrey, who's buried next to him. There are also etchings of cowboys,
boots, music notes, and guitars, as well as a full-size cowboy hat made of marble. The
various epitaphs recall titles and lines from his biggest hits. And a message to eager fans
from his son Hank Williams Jr. is also etched on a stone: "Please do not desecrate this sacred spot."