Did Tammy Wynette’s Daughters Get Any Money?

Who inherited Tammy Wynette’s money?

Introduction

If you’re a country music fan, you won’t need anybody to explain to you about just how influential Tammy Wynette has been in the music industry.

Even if you aren’t a music fan, chances are you’ll almost certainly have heard arguably her biggest hit ‘Stand By Your Man.’

Tammy was, and is, a music icon, especially in the Country and Western genres.

Her voice had a sadness to it but was deeply moving and passionate at the same time.

Just listening to her sing conjured up all manner of emotions, and you couldn’t help but tear up and get emotional, no matter how big and macho you may be.

Regardless of her sad and trembling voice, Tammy was tenacious and determined, despite the sufferings she was forced to endure in her life.

Tammy lived a tragic life of heartbreak and pain, and despite being at the top of the charts in the country music world, she was at times as low as low can be, thanks to her tragic personal life.

Even after her death, however, she could not get peace, and questions arose over her daughter’s inheritance. But did Tammy Wynette’s daughters get any money?

Who was Tammy Wynette?

Born Virginia Wynette Pugh on May 5^th, 1942, Tammy was born on a farm in Mississippi close to Alabama.

She was an only child and was born to a school teacher, a mother, and a musician father.

Sadly her father passed away when she was just 9 months old. Before he died, he would bring her to the family piano and would request that she receive piano lessons when she was old enough.

Her mother moved her to Memphis, Tennessee, where she was raised by her grandparents, as her mother served in a defense plant during WWII. Tammy would pick cotton on a farm during the day.

Known as the ‘First Lady of Country Music,’ Tammy was considered one of the musical genre’s most influential musicians, especially considering it was dominated by male performers.

During the course of her career, she would enjoy 20 Billboard Chart topping singles, with ‘Stand By Your Man’ being her most famous song.

The song received critical acclaim yet was quite polarizing, especially amongst feminists, as it portrayed women’s loyalty to their husbands, regardless.

Some believed that this gave out the wrong message as it was essentially saying women should stick by their partners regardless of how they act or what they do.

During her life, Tammy was married five times, had 4 daughters, and has sold more than 30 million records worldwide while also receiving two Grammy Awards and three Country Music Association awards, amongst others.

Tammy had an amazing voice, but she had a great deal of personal issues; she suffered from substance abuse issues and addiction and was involved in some very turbulent relationships.

A Life of Turmoil

We’ll look at whether Tammy Wynette’s daughters inherited any money a little later on, but first, let’s look at some of the turmoil and adversity she faced.

Tammy first got married at just 18 years of age, marrying Euple Byrd in 1960. Byrd couldn’t hold down a job, and the couple were forced to move from place to place and were always in financial trouble.

Tammy was the hard worker of the two and would work every job imaginable to help them make ends meet.

By 20, she had two daughters with Euple Byrd, whom they named Gwendolyn and Jacquelyn.

She was pregnant with their third daughter, Tina, when she decided to leave Byrd. Tina developed spinal meningitis as a baby, which made raising three young girls alone all the more difficult.

She would take up singing jobs locally and relocated to Nashville with her kids to try to land a record label.

She was signed with Epic Records and began performing under the name ‘Tammy Wynette.’ Soon after, she married Don Chapel in 1967.

She quickly became a star and became one of the hottest acts in music.

In 1969, she enjoyed her most successful year, releasing numerous successful singles, one album, and picking up numerous awards and accolades.

Tammy would leave Chapel for another man and, in 1969, was married to singer George Jones.

Jones, a fellow country music singer, began touring and recording with Tammy, though their marriage was strained, largely due to Jones’ alcoholism.

In 1975, the couple split for good, though they would still perform together.

In 1977, Tammy married a businessman named Michael Tomlin, with the marriage lasting just 44 days.

In 1978, she would marry for a fifth time, this time to George Richey, who was her manager in the 1980s.

Richey was said to be abused by her fourth daughter, Georgette, and was told to regularly beat Tammy.

Tammy was allegedly the victim of a failed kidnapping attempt, however, her daughter believes she made the story up to cover for the fact that she had facial bruising from Richey.

Richey was said to try to separate Tammy from her friends and family so that he was the only one in her life.

Some believe he was instrumental in getting her hooked on painkillers.

So, did Tammy Wynette’s daughters get any money?

In 1998, aged just 55, Tammy passed away after years of health problems and addiction issues. Tammy was said to have written up a trust in her will, granting her estate to her daughters. Following her death, the paperwork for this trust went missing, and her daughters did not receive any money. Instead, George Richey denied them their inheritance and inherited her money, along with his brother.

In the years that followed, people looked into Richey and whether or not he had a role in her death.

Even her body was exhumed and examined, where it was found she had a number of powerful drugs in her system, allegedly purchased by Richey.

She was re-buried, but the name on her tomb was changed to Virginia W. Richardson, who was her legally married name when she died.

This angered her daughters and her fans, and in 2014, the name was changed back to Tammy Wynette.

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