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Country music world reacts to death of singer K.T. Oslin. ‘A helluva lady’

K.T. Oslin, who won three Grammy Awards and was the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1988, died Monday at 78 years old.
K.T. Oslin, who won three Grammy Awards and was the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1988, died Monday at 78 years old. Associated Press

Singer-songwriter K.T. Oslin, who rose to fame in 1987 with her smash hit “80’s Lady,” died Monday at 78 years old, according to MusicRow.com.

Oslin had four No. 1 hits during her singing career and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018, CMT.com reported.

“80’s Lady” led to a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance. She went on to win two more Grammys the following year for her song “Hold Me.”

Oslin suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, MusicRow.com reported. It’s unclear if the coronavirus contributed to her death.

The country music world reacted to her death Monday. Country music icon Travis Tritt was among the singers who tweeted about Oslin, calling her a “brilliant songwriter and a helluva lady.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Country music world reacts to death of singer K.T. Oslin. ‘A helluva lady’."

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Mike Stunson
Lexington Herald-Leader
Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. 
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