"My roots in country music run deep because of my love and admiration for ‘Ms Loretta.' She was there in the '80s, when I arrived in Nashville, to encourage me and allow me to open for her on tour... and, she was there to open for me, in Aurora, IL, in 2013, which unknowingly was my last public concert before my stroke. The years in between are each gifts wrapped in respect, admiration, awe and love -- and we shopped for lots of dresses through those years! Whenever I heard 'my Randy,' I knew Loretta was near and her kind, sweet kisses left lipstick memories on my forehead and both cheeks. I wish I could have bottled those kisses and saved them for a day like today, when I learned of her passing. An emptiness came over me as I reflected on the magnitude of Ms Loretta’s presence—in the heart and soul of country music, and the entire world--and the void now created. If your path ever crossed with hers, you immediately felt her magic. Loretta and Doolittle ‘Doo’ represented a legacy marriage with six beautiful children as proof... and, a lot of us that Ms. Loretta took under her wing. I thank God that my career overlapped with The Queen’s—it’s an honor and a privilege. After 90 years of teaching us how to live and love here on earth, we sing her home to heaven, with grateful hearts. Our thoughts and prayers follow the precious Lynn family down this road of loss and transition—thank you for sharing Ms Loretta with us. We will never have another Loretta Lynn...this world isn’t good enough for two of her." - Randy Travis 📷: Rick Diamond