One of Gayle’s breakthrough moments came at age 16, when she performed at the Grand Ole Opry in place of Lynn. "Loretta was sick," Gayle told PEOPLE in 2016. "I know Mooney, her husband ...

The secret of Loretta Lynn, historians Mary Bufwack and Robert Oermann write, “is in her honesty. Her strength is in her womanhood. Her pride is in her working-class background.” She achieved ...