Carly Pearce honored Loretta Lynn on the Grand Ole Opry stage, including by sharing a heartfelt voicemail that she received from the country music legend for the first time publicly. Lynn’s family said in a statement on Tuesday morning (October 4) that the “Coal Miner’s Daughter” star passed away peacefully at her Tennessee ranch. She was 90.
Pearce promised that when she took the Opry stage that evening, she would perform her song inspired by Lynn with “a little extra love.” Leading into her performance of “Dear Miss Loretta,” Pearce shared with the audience:
“We absolutely lost one of the greatest that there ever was and will be, and as I stand here tonight, overwhelmed with just the legacy and the beauty that she is and she was. And, she heard me — which is quite crazy to me — I played this song on the Opry stage. I debuted it just like I’m gonna do it tonight. Loretta happened to be watching the livestream of the Grand Ole Opry and heard me sing this song. And, I’ve never played this for anybody publicly, but I felt like tonight, standing on the Opry stage and in the circle, that the ‘Honky Tonk Angel’ — which, she is now officially a ‘Honky Tonk Angel’ — that maybe she wants me to do this. So, this is a message I got from Loretta Lynn last year.”
Holding her phone up to the mic — and dropping her jaw as Lynn said her name — Pearce played the voicemail:
“Hi Carly. This is Loretta, honey. I’m layin’ here in bed just takin’ it easy, and I’m fixin’ to get up and wash my face, maybe, comb my hair. I don’t know. I ain’t got no place to go, have I? But anyway, I love your song. Thank you, sweetheart. I love you, honey. Come and see me sometime.”
The audience gushed “aww,” and applauded after listening to the voicemail that Pearce shared. Pearce said, before she began her performance: “I’ve listened to that message a lot today, and if that does not capture the purest form and the essence of her beautiful soul, I don’t know what else does. So, I love you, too, Loretta. And I’m gonna sing your song for you tonight.”
Pearce recorded “Dear Miss Loretta” on her smash-hit album, 29: Written In Stone, as a tribute to the country music legend and fellow Kentucky native. She sings, in part:
“Dear Miss Loretta/ We both grew up too fast/ And I wish you could tell me/ How you made it last/ I ain't a coal miner's daughter/ But I've sung it all my life/ I ain't been a widow/ But I've been an ex-wife/ And I hear your truth/ And I feel your pain/ Now I know why you sang that way/ Yeah, I know why you sang that way.”
Pearce paid tribute to Lynn at the Opry alongside Jeannie Seely and Chris Young. She shared clips on Wednesday morning (October 5), reflecting on the heartfelt moment that she shared her voicemail and the full “Dear Miss Loretta” performance. Pearce wrote in a tweet: “Last year, I received a message from Loretta, after she heard me sing my song to her on the [Opry]. Last night, I shared it in the circle right before I sang it to honor her life & legacy. I hope this makes you smile & hear the essence of how special this woman always will be.”
Watch the full performance — and listen to Loretta’s voicemail she left for Pearce — here: