Country singer Kitty Wells dead at 92

Famed country singer Kitty Wells died Monday at the age of 92. The Nashville star passed away after complications from a stroke. The songstress, who is often considered the “Queen of Country Music,” was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1976. Wells was the first woman to hit number one on the country charts with her 1952 hit, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” Her accomplishments helped pave the way for future female country singers.

The late singer’s friend Barbara Mandrell said, Wells “was every female country music performer’s heroine … She led the way for all of us and I feel very grateful and honored to have known her. She was always the most gracious, kind, and lovely person to be around. I so appreciated her being a part of my life and a mentor to me.”

Wells is survived by two of her three children, Carol Sue and Bobby. Her daughter Ruby passed away in 2009 and her husband Johnnie Wright died last year.