What was Tammy Wynette’s net worth at the time of her death?
Tammy Wynette, nicknamed – The Queen of Country Music, was an American country music singer-songwriter and had a net worth of $1 million at the time of her death. She is best known for her 1968 hit “Stand by Your Man.”
She was born on May 5, 1942, in Itawamba County, Mississippi, USA, as Virginia Wynette Pugh.
Her father was a farmer and local musician who died when she was very young,
Tammy attended Bellflower High School.
On May 1, 1967, she released her debut album, called – ”Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad,” via Epic Records. It reached #7 on the Country Albums chart.
In December 1966, she released her first single, titled ”Apartment No. 9.”
In 1967, Wynette received a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for ”I Don’t Wanna Play House.”
On January 15, 1968, Tammy released her 2nd album, titled – ”Take Me to Your World / I Don’t Wanna Play House,” via Epic Records. The single ”I Don’t Wanna Play House” peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Singles chart.
On May 3, 1971, Wynette released her 9th album, entitled – ”We Sure Can Love Each Other,” via Epic Records.
In 1981, she was portrayed by Annette O’Toole in the television film ”Stand by Your Man” based on her life.
On June 20, 1983, she released an album titled – ”Even the Strong Get Lonely” via Epic Records. It reached #66 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
In 1985, Wynette was a guest on the TV series ”Grand Ole Opry.”
In late 1991, Wynette recorded the ”Justified and Ancient (Stand by the JAMs)” with the British electronica group The KLF.
© Guliver / Getty Images
On June 20, 1995, Tammy released her final studio album, called ”One.” It was a collaboration with George Jones.
In 1996, she appeared in one episode of ”Married… with Children.”
In 2002, Tammy was ranked No. 2 on CMT’s 40 Greatest Women of Country Music.
In September 2020, it was announced that Jessica Chastain would play Wynette in a television miniseries (George & Tammy) centered on the country singer’s wedding to George Jones.
Husband
In 1960, she married construction worker Euple Byrd. The two divorced in 1966.
On April 7, 1967, Wynette married songwriter and guitarist Don Chapel. They divorced in 1968 after Chapel traded nude photographs of her. Chapel died in 2015 from complications from pneumonia and heart failure. He was 84.
On February 16, 1969, Tammy Wynette married legendary country performer George Jones. Tammy and George met at a Nashville recording studio. The couple divorced on March 12, 1975. In her autobiography, Tammy said George used to beat her.
George JONES and Tammy WYNETTE – January 01, 1960 – @Getty
She also said about Jones: ”George is one of those people who can’t tolerate happiness.” He died in 2013, aged 81, from hypoxic respiratory failure.
© Guliver / Getty Images
On July 18, 1976, Tammy married businessman Michael Tomlin. Her marriage to Tomlin lasted just 44 days.
In the 70s, she was linked romantically with Burt Reynolds.
On July 6, 1978, Wynette married singer-songwriter George Richey. He also served as her manager.
© Guliver / Getty Images
Children
With her first husband, Wynette had three daughters:
- Tina Denise Byrd (b. March 27, 1965). Tina was born three months prematurely.
- Jacquelyn Faye (“Jackie”) Byrd (b. August 2, 1962).
- Gwendolyn Lee (“Gwen”) Byrd (b. April 15, 1961).
She also had a daughter with Jones, Tamala Georgette Jones (b. October 5, 1970), who is also a singer.
READ MORE: Who is Shirley Caesar’s husband?
Death
@Getty
Wynette passed away in her sleep on April 6, 1998, in Nashville, Tennessee. She is buried at the Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee, alongside other country music singers such as Eddy Arnold, Porter Wagoner, and Webb Pierce.
Tammy was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame the following year.
She is survived by her four daughters, husband George Richey, and eight grandchildren.
Tammy suffered for years with painful stomach ailments and underwent multiple surgeries. Also, Wynette had to take painkillers.
Wynette’s home and other possessions were left in the care of George Richey. In 2010, Bicycle Music Co. bought the rights to her intellectual property.
Quotes
”Loneliness surrounds me without your arms around me.”
”I always said that I’m not the best singer in the world, just the loudest.”
”The sad part about happy endings is there’s nothing to write about.”
READ MORE: Reinhold Bilgeri Net Worth
Trivia
@Getty
Wynette’s early jobs included working in a shoe factory, as a barmaid, a receptionist, and a waitress.
Her single “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” appears in the video game Grand Theft Auto V.
She grew up idolizing George Jones, Patsy Cline, Skeeter Davis, and Hank Williams.
Net Worth
So, how much was Tammy Wynette worth at death?
Wynette earned most of her wealth from releasing more than 50 albums, including – Heart Over Mind, You Brought Me Back, Let’s Get Together, I Still Believe in Fairy Tales, We Sure Can Love Each Other, and Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad.
She had 20 number-one hits throughout her career. Some of her best-selling songs are Golden Ring, Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad, Good Lovin, Near You, My Elusive Dreams, You and Me, My Man, D-I-V-O-R-C-E, Run, Woman Run, and The Ways to Love a Man.
Tammy sold over 30 million records, grossing over $100 million. In 1988, Wynette filed for bankruptcy as a result of a bad investment in two shopping centers.
Therefore, at the time of her death, country music singer-songwriter Tammy Wynette had an estimated net worth of $1 million.
Note – Wynette’s daughters filed a lawsuit in 1999 against Dr. Wallis Marsh, Tammy Wynette’s personal physician, and George Richey, her husband at the time of her death.
They accused both men of wrongful death, claiming that Dr. Marsh’s negligence and Richey’s alleged mistreatment of their mother had contributed to her untimely passing.
Richey died in 2010.
READ THIS NEXT:
Who inherited Tammy Wynette’s money?
Who inherited George Jones’ estate?
I am Bulgarea Candin Stefan, and I founded FamousPeopleToday.com in 2018. I’m using my bachelor’s degree in economics and 9 years of experience in blogging to guide millions of people through the incredibly complex world of celebrity net worths.