Loretta Lynn Pens a Touching Tribute to Her Lαtᥱ Husᑲαnd Doolittle on Their 73rd Anniversary

Loretta Lynn shared an emotional tribute on Instagram honoring the 73rd anniversary she would have had with her Lαtᥱ Husᑲαnd, Oliver Vannetta Lynn, nicknamed Doolittle.

Loretta Lynn posted an archived performance of her hit, “I Can’t Hear the Music.” where she appears close to tears. The country music star and her Lαtᥱ Husᑲαnd were married for over 5 decades before his unfortunate passing.

In the 14 years since Doolittle’s death, the star has openly shared her struggles in moving on. Despite Lynn’s proclamations of love for her husband, the star’s entire marriage was marred with violᥱn𝘤ᥱ and adultery.

One of eight children, Lynn was the daughter of a poor coal miner. She met her husband at a pie social and married him after a month of courtship. The star was 15 at the time, while Doolittle was 21.

Their marriage, however, was problematic. Lynn endured Doolittle’s alcoholism, philandering, and physical abuse. The singer has maintained that she always held her own against her husband, saying:

“Every time Doo smα𝘤kᥱd me, he got smα𝘤kᥱd twice.”

Despite their unstable relationship, Lynn credited Doolittle as the reason for her career. He bought the singer her first guitar, and she soon found herself composing using Doolittle’s encouragement to perform publicly.

Doolittle also took it upon himself to promote Lynn’s music by mailing her songs to radio stations. The star’s husband drove the pair across states, both of them even sleeping in their car to make it for Lynn’s performances.

Lynn’s daughter Patsy disclosed her mother has never fully accepted the loss.

The superstar began to accumulate a loyal following of fans who often found her lyrics relatable. Lynn drew inspiration from her complex relationship with Doolittle and surprisingly found growing fame.

Despite Lynn’s fame, Doolittle’s adultery, abuse, and alcoholism continued. In an interview, Lynn said their six children were the reason she stayed; however, in many instances, she attributed her lengthy marriage to the idea:

“If you can’t fight for your man, he’s not worth having.”