Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn were one unstoppable duo. They brought us many now-classic songs, including “Lead Me On,” “After the Fire Is Gone,” and “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man.”
The pair began their singing partnership in 1971. Together, they went on to earn five number one singles, seven additional Top Ten singles, and won the CMA Award for Vocal Duo of the Year every year from 1972-1975.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAoKSUFF0-A
But Conway and Loretta were more than just singing partners…they were the best of friends.
The duo’s onstage chemistry was so strong, that many rumors swirled they were involved in a romantic relationship. In the 2016 PBS documentary Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl, Loretta said that she only ever loved Conway as a friend:
“Everybody thought me and Conway had a thing going, and that’s the furthest from the truth. I loved Conway, as a friend, and my husband loved him. Conway was really the only one in the music business that Doo gave a dag-gone for,” she said.
Sadly, Loretta and Conway’s longtime friendship was brought to an abrupt end when Conway passed away on June 5, 1993. He was only 59 years old.
#CountryMusic Remembering Conway Twitty…
*September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993* pic.twitter.com/PdkkmppLEH— Bianca Carolina (@BeMisty) June 5, 2020
2020 marked the 27th anniversary of Conway’s passing. He would have been 86 years old if he was still with us.
Loretta, who is now 88 herself, took a moment to remember her dear friend and duet partner through a note she shared on social media. In the note, she wrote about how much Conway meant to her.
“I can’t believe it’s been 27 years today since we lost Conway,” Loretta said. “He was one of the best men I have ever known.”
She went on to talk about Conway’s talents as a singer and a baseball player before saying how much she loved him. “He was like a brother to me and I couldn’t have asked for a better singing partner,” she said.
In closing, Loretta said she felt 59 was far too young of an age for Conway to leave this Earth. “I miss him so much,” she wrote. “Love you, Conway!“
You can read Loretta’s full note about the 27th anniversary of Conway’s death below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBEbMTDpyRJ/
If you’d like to learn more about Loretta and Conway’s remarkable friendship, tune in to the following clip from the Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl documentary.
There will never be another duo like Loretta and Conway, that’s for certain. May Conway rest in peace.