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{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name            = Patsy Cline
| image           = Patsy Cline II.jpg
| caption         = Cline at [[4 Star Records]] in March 1957
| image_size      =
| background      = solo_singer
| birth_name      = Virginia Patterson Hensley
| alias           = Ginny, Patsy
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1932|09|08}}
| birth_place     = [[Winchester, Virginia]]
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1963|03|05|1932|09|08}}
| death_place     = near [[Camden, Tennessee]]
| cause_of_death  = Plane crash
| instrument      = Vocals, piano
| genre           = [[Nashville sound]], [[Country music|country]], [[Traditional pop music|traditional pop]], [[rockabilly]], [[country pop]], [[Honky tonk#Music|honky tonk]], [[Swing music|swing]], [[Gospel music|gospel]]
| occupation      = Singer
| years_active    = 1947–1963
| label           = [[Four Star Records|Four Star]], [[Decca Records|Decca]]
| associated_acts = [[Kitty Wells]], [[Jean Shepard]], [[Jimmy Dean]], [[Jim Reeves]], [[Eddy Arnold]], [[Skeeter Davis]], [[Brenda Lee]], [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Jan Howard]], [[Dottie West]], [[Willie Nelson]]
}}

'''Patsy Cline''' (born '''Virginia Patterson Hensley'''; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American [[country music]] singer. Part of the early 1960s [[Nashville sound]], Cline successfully "crossed over" to [[pop music]] and was one of the most influential, successful and acclaimed vocalists of the 20th century.<ref>CBS News (February 18, 2009). [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/05/entertainment/main542913.shtml "Remembering Patsy Cline"]. Retrieved 2012-01-16.</ref><ref>Browne, Ray; Browne, Pat (eds.) (2001). ''The Guide to United States Popular Culture''. Popular Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-87972-821-2.</ref>  She died at the age of 30 in a multiple-fatality crash of the private plane of her manager, Randy Hughes.

Cline was best known for her rich tone, emotionally expressive and bold [[contralto]] voice<ref>Corliss, Richard (Aug. 19, 1996. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985010,00.html Music: Inclined to be just like Patsy]. ''Time Magazine''.</ref> and her role as a country music industry pioneer. Along with [[Kitty Wells]],<ref name="CNN">{{cite news  | last= Duke | first= Alan| url= http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/17/showbiz/kitty-wells-legacy | title=Kitty Wells blazed country path for women | publisher=  CNN| date=  18 July 2012| accessdate= 6 March 2013}}</ref> she helped pave the way for women as headline performers in the [[genre]]. Cline was cited as an inspiration by singers in several styles.<ref name=legacy.com>{{cite web|title=Patsy Cline, Country Star|url=http://www.legacy.com/ns/news-story.aspx?t=patsy-cline-country-star&id=764|publisher=legacy.com|accessdate=April 25, 2012}}</ref> Books, movies, documentaries, articles and stage plays document her life and career.

Her hits began in 1957 with Donn Hecht's and Alan Block's "[[Walkin' After Midnight]]", [[Hank Cochran]]'s and [[Harlan Howard]]'s "[[I Fall to Pieces]]", Hank Cochran's "[[She's Got You]]", [[Willie Nelson]]'s "[[Crazy (Willie Nelson song)|Crazy]]" and ended in 1963 with [[Don Gibson]]'s "[[Sweet Dreams (Don Gibson song)|Sweet Dreams]]".

Millions of her records have sold since her death. She won awards and accolades, causing many to view her as an icon at the level of [[Jim Reeves]], [[Johnny Cash]] and [[Elvis Presley]]. Ten years after her death, in 1973, she became the first female solo artist inducted to the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]]. In 1999, she was voted number 11 on [[VH1]]'s special, ''The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll'', by members and artists of the rock industry.<ref>Rock On The Net. [http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/vh1women.htm VH1: '100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll'].</ref> In 2002, country music artists and industry members voted her Number One on [[Country Music Television|CMT]]'s ''The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music'' and ranked 46th in the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" issue of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine. According to her 1973 Country Music Hall of Fame plaque, "Her heritage of timeless recordings is testimony to her artistic capacity".

==Early years==

===Childhood===
She was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932, in [[Winchester, Virginia]], in the city's Memorial Hospital. She was the eldest child of [[seamstress]] Hilda Virginia ({{née}} Patterson; March 9, 1916{{snds}}December 10, 1998) and [[blacksmith]] Samuel Lawrence Hensley (August 16, 1889{{snds}}December 11, 1956).<ref>[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J2CZ-9ZV Hilda Hensley death record] accessed 4/4/2015</ref> She soon had a younger brother and sister, Samuel Jr. (November 13, 1939{{snds}}November 1, 2004)<ref>[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=121974915 Samuel Hensley memorial], FindaGrave.com; accessed May 28, 2016</ref> and Sylvia (April 14, 1943). They were known in the family as Ginny, John, and Sis. The family moved often before finally settling in [[Winchester, Virginia]], when Patsy was eight. Sam Hensley deserted his family in 1947, but the children's home was reportedly happy nonetheless.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Tribute to Patsy Cline |url=http://www.patsy.nu/ |website=Patsy.nu |accessdate=September 21, 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Patsy Cline's Home in Winchester, Virginia.jpg|thumb|right|[[Patsy Cline House|Cline's house]] in Winchester, Virginia, where she lived from age 16 to 21]]

Cline was introduced to music at an early age, singing in church with her mother. She liked stars such as [[Kay Starr]], [[Jo Stafford]], [[Hank Williams]], [[Judy Garland]], and [[Shirley Temple]]. She had [[perfect pitch]]. Self-taught, she could not read music.

When Patsy was thirteen, she was hospitalized with a throat infection and rheumatic fever. "The fever affected my throat and when I recovered I had this booming voice like [[Kate Smith]]".<ref name=patsyclinestory>{{cite web|title=The Patsy Cline Story|url=http://www.holeintheweb.com/drp/bhd/PatsyCline.htm|publisher=holeintheweb.com}}</ref>

===Teen years===
To help support her now fatherless family, Cline dropped out of high school and worked as a [[soda jerk]] and waitress by day at the [[Triangle Diner]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.TriangleDiner.com  |title=Triangle Diner|publisher=Facebook|date= |accessdate=2012-01-31}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=March 2014}} across the street from her former school, [[John Handley High School|John Handley High]]. After watching performers through the window at the local radio station, she asked [[WINC (AM)|WINC]] disc jockey and talent coordinator Jimmy McCoy if she could sing on his show. Her performance in 1947 was well received, and she was asked back. This led to appearances at local nightclubs, wearing fringed Western outfits her mother made from Patsy's designs.

Cline performed in variety and talent shows in the Winchester and Tri-State areas. Along with this and increasing local radio appearances on local radio gained her a large following. In 1954 [[Jimmy Dean]], already a young country star, heard of her and she became a regular with him on [[Connie B. Gay]]'s ''Town and Country Jamboree'' radio show, airing weekday afternoons live on [[WAVA (AM)|WARL]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington]], [[Virginia]].

==Personal life==

===First marriage===
Cline married Gerald Edward Cline (1925–1994), a contractor, on March 7, 1953. The marriage ended in divorce on July 4, 1957. The failure of their marriage was blamed on the conflict between her desire to sing professionally and his wishes that she be a housewife. They had no children.

===Second marriage===

Upon her divorce, Cline married [[Charles Allen Dick]], known as Charlie (May 24, 1934{{snds}}November 8, 2015), a [[Linotype machine|Linotype]] operator, on September 15, 1957. Cline regarded Dick as "the love of her life". It was a marriage with much-publicized controversy—and later, alleged abuse—but it lasted until her death. They were the parents of two children, Julia Simadore (called Julie; August 25, 1958) and Allen Randolph Dick (called Randy; January 22, 1961).

Charlie Dick died in November 2015 and was buried next to Cline in Shenandoah Memorial Park, in her hometown of [[Winchester, Virginia]].<ref name="test">Nassour, Ellis (1993). ''Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline''. St. Martin's Press. ''Patsy Cline, An Intimate Biography''. Tower/Leisure Books. Dorchester Publishing, 1981.</ref><ref>[http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/6754076/charlie-dick-widower-of-patsy-cline-dies-at-81  "Charlie Dick, Widower of Patsy Cline, Dies at 81", ''Billboard'', November 8, 2015]</ref><ref>[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=154775352 Charlie Dick memorial], Findagrave.com; accessed May 26, 2015</ref>

==Recording career==

===Four Star Records===
Bill Peer, her second manager, gave her the name Patsy, from her middle name, Patterson. In 1955 he gained a contract for her at [[Four Star Records]], the label he was then affiliated with. Four Star was under contract to the [[Coral Records|Coral]] subsidiary of [[Decca Records]]. Patsy signed with Decca at her first opportunity three years later.<ref name=patsyclinestory/>

Her first contract allowed her to record compositions only by Four Star writers, which Cline found limiting. Later, she expressed regret over signing with the label, but thinking that nobody else would have her, she took the deal. Her first record for Four Star was "A Church, A Courtroom & Then Good-Bye", which attracted little attention, although it led to appearances on the [[Grand Ole Opry]]. As these performances were not "records" per se, they were not governed by her contract, and she could sing what she wanted, within reason. This somewhat eased her "stifled" feeling.

Between 1955 and 1957, Cline recorded [[honky tonk#Music|honky tonk]] material, with songs like "Fingerprints", "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down", "Don't Ever Leave Me Again", and "A Stranger In My Arms". Cline co-wrote the last two. None of these songs gained notable success. She experimented with [[rockabilly]].

According to [[Decca Records]] producer [[Owen Bradley]], the Four Star compositions only hinted at Patsy's potential. Bradley thought that her voice was best-suited for [[pop music]], but Cline sided with Peer and the other Four Star producers, insisting that she could only record country songs, as her contract also stated. Every time Bradley tried to get her to sing the torch songs that would become her signature, she would panic, missing her familiar country fiddle and steel guitar. She often rebelled, only wishing to sing country and yodel.<ref name=patsyclinestory/> She recorded 51 songs with Four Star.

===Arthur Godfrey and "Walkin' After Midnight"===
On July 1, 1955 Cline made her network television debut on the short-lived television version of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC-TV]]. This was followed by an appearance on the network's ''[[Ozark Jubilee]]'' later that month,<ref name=en80>{{citation|first=Ellis|last=Nassour|title=Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline|publisher=St. Martin's Paperbacks; Expanded edition|year=1994|isbn=0-312-95158-2}} In a letter home, Cline refers to a January 1956 ''Ozark Jubilee'' appearance but does not give the date.</ref>{{rp|p.80}} before returning to the show in April.{{clarify|date=May 2012}}

In 1956, at an Armory dance where she was the vocalist, Cline met Winchester native Charlie Dick, a linotype operator and good-looking ladies man who frequented the local club circuit Cline played on weekends, in Berryville, VA, eight miles from Winchester. His raw charm and persistence resulted in an affair — though Patsy was still married to her first husband and involved in an on again/off again relationship with manager Bill Peer. <ref name=patsyclinestory/>

Later that year, while looking for material for her first album, ''Patsy Cline,'' "[[Walkin' After Midnight]]" appeared, written by Donn Hecht and Alan Block. Cline initially did not like the song because it was, according to her, "just a little old pop song".<ref name=patsyclinestory/> However, the song's writers and record label insisted that she record it.

Late in 1956, she auditioned for ''[[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts]]'' in [[New York City]], and was accepted to sing on the [[CBS|CBS-TV]] show on January 21, 1957. Godfrey's "discovery" of Cline was typical. Her scout (actually her mother) presented Patsy, who initially was supposed to sing "[[A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)]]". However, the show's producers insisted she sing "Walkin' After Midnight" instead, since it was set to be released shortly thereafter by Decca Records. Though the song was heralded as a country song, and recorded in Nashville, Godfrey's staff insisted that Cline appear in a cocktail dress rather than in one of her mother's hand-crafted cowgirl outfits.<ref name=patsyclinestory/>

The audience's enthusiastic ovations pushed the [[applause meter]] to its apex, winning the competition for her. After the Godfrey show, listeners began calling their local radio stations to request the song, so she released it as a single. Although Cline had been performing for almost a decade and had appeared on national TV three times, it took Godfrey to make her a star. For a couple of weeks thereafter, Cline appeared regularly on Godfrey's radio program. Disagreements over creative control caused Godfrey to fire her.<ref name=patsyclinestory/>

"Walkin' After Midnight" reached No.&nbsp;2 on the country chart and No.&nbsp;16 on the pop chart, making Cline one of the first country singers to have a [[crossover (music)|crossover]] pop hit. The single drove her success for the next year or so. She stayed visible by making personal appearances and performing regularly on Godfrey's show, as well as performing for several years on ''Ozark Jubilee'' (later ''Jubilee USA''). She had no other hits with Four Star.<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p65087/biography|pure_url=yes}} Patsy Cline Biography at AllMusic]</ref>

In 1957, Cline recorded "A Stranger in My Arms" and "Don't Ever Leave Me Again", written by friends Lillian Clarborne and James Crawford, the only known releases on which Cline contributed music (she could play piano by ear) under her birth name Virginia Hensley. However, Four-Star Records lists Cline as a contributor to Barbara Vaughn's 1956 tune "Wicked Love", leading to speculation that she may have cut a demo of the song. If so, it has never surfaced. [10, page 81, ''Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline'' [1993].

After the birth of their daughter, Julie, in 1958, Cline and her husband moved to [[Nashville, Tennessee]].

===1961 comeback – "I Fall to Pieces"===
In 1959 Cline met Randy Hughes, a session guitarist and promotion man. Hughes became her manager and helped her change labels. When her Four Star contract expired in 1960, she signed with Decca Records-Nashville, directly under [[Owen Bradley]], a legendary producer of female country singers. He was responsible for much of Cline's success and positively influenced the careers of both [[Brenda Lee]] and [[Loretta Lynn]].

Even though she was still scared of the lush [[Nashville sound]] arrangements, Bradley considered Cline's voice best-suited for [[country pop]]-crossover songs. His direction and arrangements helped smooth her voice into the silky, torch song style for which she won fame.

[[File:Patsy Cline-1961.jpg|thumb|right|210px|Cline promotional photograph shortly before her 1961 life-threatening car accident]]
Cline's first release for Decca was the country pop ballad "[[I Fall to Pieces]]" (1961), written by [[Hank Cochran]] and [[Harlan Howard]]. The song was promoted and won success on both country and pop stations. On the country charts, it slowly climbed to the top, garnering her first Number One ranking. In a major feat for country singers at the time, the song also hit No.&nbsp;12 on the pop and No.&nbsp;6 on the adult contemporary charts, making her a [[Celebrity|household name]] and demonstrating that women could achieve as much crossover success as men.

===Grand Ole Opry and Nashville scene===
On January 9, 1960, Cline realized a lifelong dream when the [[Grand Ole Opry]] accepted her request to join the cast, making her the only person to achieve membership in such a fashion. She became one of the Opry's biggest stars.

Even before that time, believing that there was "room enough for everybody", and confident of her abilities and appeal, Cline befriended and encouraged women starting out in the country music field at that time, including [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Dottie West]], [[Jan Howard]], 16-year-old [[Brenda Lee]] and a 13-year-old steel-guitar player named [[Barbara Mandrell]] (with whom Cline once toured). All cited her as a major influence.

According to both Lynn and West, Cline always gave of herself to friends, buying them groceries and furniture and even hiring them as wardrobe assistants. On occasion, she paid their rent so they could stay in Nashville and continue pursuing their dreams. Honky-tonk pianist and Opry star [[Del Wood]] said, "Even when she didn't have it, she'd spend it — and not always on herself. She'd give anyone the skirt off her backside if they needed it".<ref name=en80/>

===The Cline===
She cultivated a brash and gruff exterior as "one of the boys", befriending male artists as well. Among them were [[Roger Miller]], [[Hank Cochran]], [[Faron Young]], [[Ferlin Husky]], [[Harlan Howard]] and [[Carl Perkins]], with all of whom she socialized at the famed [[Tootsie's Orchid Lounge]], next door to the Opry. In the 1986 documentary ''The Real Patsy Cline'', singer [[George Riddle (singer)|George Riddle]] said of her, "It wasn't unusual for her to sit down and have a beer and tell a joke, and she'd never be offended at the guys' jokes either, because most of the time she'd tell a joke dirtier than you! Patsy was full of life".

Cline used the term of endearment "Hoss" to her friends, both male and female, and called herself "The Cline". She met [[Elvis Presley]] in 1962 at a fundraiser for [[St. Jude Children's Research Hospital]] and they exchanged phone numbers.<ref name=en80/> Having seen him perform during a rare Grand Ole Opry appearance, she admired his music, called him The Big Hoss, and often recorded with his backup group, [[The Jordanaires]].

By this time, Cline controlled her own career, making it clear to all involved that she could stand up to any man, verbally and professionally, and was ready to challenge them if they interfered with her. At a time when concert promoters often cheated stars by promising to pay them after the show but skipping out with the money before the concert ended, Cline demanded her money before she took the stage: Her "No dough, no show", became the rule.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} According to friend [[Roy Drusky]] in the ''The Real Patsy Cline'': "Before one concert, we hadn't been paid. And we were talking about who was going to tell the audience that we couldn't perform without pay. Patsy said, 'I'll tell 'em!' And she did!" Dottie West recalled with amazement some 25 years later that "It was common knowledge around town that you didn't mess with 'The Cline!'"

===Car crash===
On June 14, 1961, she and her brother Sam were involved in a head-on collision on [[Old Hickory Boulevard]] in Nashville. The impact threw Cline into the windshield, nearly killing her. Upon arriving at the scene, [[Dottie West]] picked glass from Cline's hair, and went with her in the [[ambulance]].

When help arrived, Cline insisted that the other car's driver be treated first. She later said she saw the female driver of the other car die before her eyes.<ref name = Patsy/> (West witnessed this, and the impression left upon her may have contributed to an unfortunate decision she made some three decades later. In 1991, when West was seriously injured in a car accident, she insisted that her driver be treated first. West died from her injuries, possibly because she had declined to be treated immediately.<ref name = Patsy>Jones, Margaret (1999). ''Patsy: The Life and Times of Patsy Cline'' Da Capo Press ISBN 978-0-306-80886-9</ref>) Cline spent a month in the hospital, suffering from a jagged cut across her forehead that required stitches, a broken wrist, and a [[dislocated hip]]. Her friend [[Billy Walker (musician)|Billy Walker]] (who died in a vehicle accident in 2006) said Cline rededicated her life to Christ while in the hospital, where she received thousands of cards and flowers from fans.<ref name=en80/>  When she was released, her forehead was visibly scarred. (For the rest of her career, she wore wigs and makeup to hide the scars, along with headbands to relieve the pressure that caused headaches.) Six weeks later, she returned to the road on crutches with a new appreciation for life.

A series of recordings titled ''Patsy Cline: Live at the Cimarron Ballroom,'' from her first concert after the crash, were released in 1997 and feature Cline interacting with the audience, reviewing her live performances. Recorded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a sound check, these archives were found in the attic by a later owner of one of Cline's residences and were given to the family.

==="Crazy"===
Unable to capitalize upon the success of "I Fall to Pieces" due to her hospital stay, Cline sought another recording to re-establish herself. When introduced to "[[Crazy (Willie Nelson song)|Crazy]]", a song written by [[Willie Nelson]], Cline expressed dislike because of the narrative on Nelson's demo recording. On Thursday, August 17, 1961, with Cline on crutches, the session was the rare time that Cline couldn't complete a recording in one take.<ref name=songfacts>{{cite web|title=Crazy by Patsy Cline|url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2607|accessdate=April 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name=oracleband>{{cite web|title=Crazy – Patsy Cline|url=http://www.oracleband.net/Lyrics/crazy.htm|work=Song Lyrics / Chart History / Artist Information|publisher=oracleband.net|accessdate=April 25, 2012}}</ref>

Working in a [[Quonset hut]] (where the original Bradley's Barn Studio was located before moving to [[Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center|Opryland]]), she tried to follow Nelson's idiosyncratic narrative style. Cline claimed this was too difficult,{{clarify|date=November 2014}} and her ribs, injured in the crash, were making it hard for her to reach the high notes. In an era when it was standard to record four songs in a three-hour run, those in the "Crazy" session spent four hours on a single song. It was eventually decided that Cline would return the following Monday and simply sing the lyrics, [[overdubbing]] her vocals on the best [[instrumental]] track. Able after rest to reach the high notes, she recorded her part in a single take.<ref>See Liner Notes, ''12 Greatest Hits'', Patsy Cline, compact disc MCAD-12, MCA Records</ref>

The popular appeal of the final version was attributed to Bradley's management of Cline's fear, because he convinced her to imbue the recording with her unique persona. The song became an intimate representation of Cline and is seen as completely unlike Nelson's version. Now a classic, "Crazy" ultimately became Cline's [[signature song]].

By late 1961, "Crazy" was a [[Crossover (music)|crossover]] success, straddling the country and pop genres, and reached the Top 10 on the [[Record chart|charts]]. It became Cline's biggest pop hit.<ref name=songfacts /><ref>{{cite web|title=500 Greatest Songs of all Time|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/patsy-cline-crazy-19691231|work=Rolling Stone|accessdate=April 25, 2012}}</ref> The song subsequently reached No.&nbsp;9 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|US Hot 100]] and No.&nbsp;2 on both the [[Hot Country Songs]] and the [[Adult Contemporary]] lists. An album released in November 1961, entitled ''[[Patsy Cline Showcase]]'', featured both of Cline's hits of that year.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} Loretta Lynn later reported on her album, ''[[I Remember Patsy]]'', that on the night Cline premiered "Crazy" at the Grand Ole Opry, she received three [[standing ovation]]s.

===''Sentimentally Yours''===
In the fall of 1961, Cline was back in the studio to record an upcoming album for release in early 1962. One of the first songs<ref>Recorded December 17, 1961. See Liner Notes, ''12 Greatest Hits'', Patsy Cline, compact disc MCAD-12, MCA Records.</ref> was "[[She's Got You]]", written by [[Hank Cochran]]. Cochran pitched the song over the phone to Cline and she fell in love with it at once. It was one of the few songs she enjoyed recording. Released as a single in January 1962, it soon crossed over, reaching No.&nbsp;14 on the pop charts, No.&nbsp;3 on the adult contemporary charts (originally called "Easy Listening"), and as her second and final chart-topper, No.&nbsp;1 on the country chart. She would never again enter the pop charts during her lifetime.

"She's Got You" was also Cline's first entry in the [[United Kingdom]] singles chart, reaching No.&nbsp;43. The cover by [[Alma Cogan]], one of Britain's most popular female artists of the 1950s, performed notably as well. (The biggest ''Hit Parade'' UK record sales entry before her death was her version of the standard [[Heartaches (song)|Heartaches]], reaching the Top 30 in late 1962.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everyhit.com/retros/index.php?page=rchart&y1=1962&m1=12&day1=1&y2=1962&m2=12&day2=1&sent=1 |title=Retro Charts |publisher=everyHit.com |date=2000-03-16 |accessdate=2012-01-31}}</ref>

Following the success of "She's Got You", Cline released a string of smaller country hits, including the Top 10 "[[When I Get Thru' With You]]", "Imagine That", "[[So Wrong]]", and "Heartaches". These were not big crossover hits, but still reached the Top 20 and Top 10.

In 1962, Cline appeared on [[Dick Clark]]'s ''[[American Bandstand]]'' and released her third album, ''[[Sentimentally Yours]]'' in August. When asked in a WSM-AM interview about her vocal stylings, she said, "Oh, I just sing like I hurt inside".

Life on the road was beginning to wear on Cline. She longed to spend more time with her children, Julie and Randy, and was starting to talk about a hiatus. But Randy, her manager insisted that they had to strike while the iron was hot.

===At the top===
Cline was the first female country music star to headline her own show and receive billing above the male stars with whom she toured.

While bands typically backed up the female singer, Cline led the band throughout the concerts instead.{{clarify|date=May 2012}} She was so respected by men in the industry that rather than introducing her to audiences as "Pretty Miss Patsy Cline", as her female contemporaries often were, she was given a more stately introduction—such as that given by [[Johnny Cash]] on their 1962 tour: "Ladies and Gentlemen, The One and Only – Patsy Cline". As an artist, she held her fans in extremely high regard, many of them becoming friends, staying for hours after concerts to chat and sign autographs.

Cline was the first woman in country music to perform at New York's [[Carnegie Hall]], sharing the bill with fellow Opry members Minnie Pearl, Jim Reeves, Faron Young, Bill Monroe, and Grandpa Jones. The performance garnered sharp disapproval from [[gossip columnist]] [[Dorothy Kilgallen]], at whom Cline eloquently fired back. In Los Angeles, she headlined the [[Hollywood Bowl]] with Cash. And in December 1962, she became the first woman in country music to headline her own show in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], at the downtown Mint Casino.

This success enabled Cline to buy her dream home in the [[Goodlettsville, Tennessee|Goodlettsville]] suburb of Nashville, decorating it in her own style. It featured gold dust sprinkled in the bathroom tiles and a music room with the finest sound equipment. In ''The Real Patsy Cline'', Lynn remembered: "She called me into the front yard and said, 'Isn't this pretty? Now I'll never be happy until I have my Mama one just like it.{{'"}} Cline called it "the house that Vegas built", since the money from the Mint covered its cost. After her death, Cline's home was sold to singer [[Wilma Burgess]].<ref name=en80/>

With the new demand for Cline came higher earnings. Reportedly, she was paid at least $1,000 per appearance toward the end of her life. This was an unheard-of sum for country music women, whose average fees were less than $200 a show. Her penultimate concert, held in Birmingham, Alabama, grossed $3,000.{{Verify source|date=September 2010}}

To match her new sophisticated sound, Cline also reinvented her personal style, shedding her trademark Western cowgirl outfits for more elegant gowns, cocktail dresses, spiked heels, and gold lamé pants. In the days before [[Tanya Tucker|Tanya]]'s skintight leather pants and [[Reba McEntire|Reba]]'s famous red dress shocked the country music establishment, Patsy's new image was considered riskier and sexier than anything anybody had ever seen. Country music industry personnel and fans were more used to seeing gingham and calico dresses. Like her sound, Cline's style in fashion was mocked at first, then copied. She also loved dangly earrings, ruby-red lipstick and her favorite perfume was ''[[Wind Song]]''.

During her {{frac|5|1|2}}-year career, Cline received a dozen awards for her achievements, and three more following her death from the ''Music Reporter'', ''[[Billboard Awards]]'' and ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]''.

Cline wrote of her success in a letter to friend Anne Armstrong: "It's wonderful —- but what do I do for '63? It's getting so even Cline can't follow Cline!"<ref>From the 1993 documentary ''Remembering Patsy'';originally referenced in Cline's conversations with manager Randy Huges in Ellis Nassour's "Patsy Cline", reprinted in "Honky Tony Angel"</ref>

During the same period, Dottie West, [[June Carter Cash]], and Loretta Lynn recalled Cline telling them that she felt a sense of impending doom and did not expect to live much longer.<ref>10, Ellis Nassour's biographies, also referenced in ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 98–9.</ref> Cline, already known for her excessive generosity, had begun giving away personal items to friends; she wrote her will on Delta Air Lines stationery and asked close friends to care for her children should anything happen to her. She told [[The Jordanaires]]' bass singer [[Ray Walker (singer)|Ray Walker]] as she exited the Grand Ole Opry the week before her death: "Honey, I've had two bad ones (accidents). The third one will either be a charm or it'll kill me".

===''The Last Sessions''===
In early February, Cline was back in the Quonset hut to record her fourth and what would become her final album of new material, originally entitled ''Faded Love''. Mixing country standards and such vintage pop classics as Irving Berlin's "[[Always (1925 song)|Always]]" and "Does Your Heart Beat for Me", these sessions were the most contemporary-sounding of her career. They featured a full string section with no conventional country music instruments. Before her death, as Owen Bradley told ''Patsy'' author Margaret Jones, he and Cline had talked of doing an album of show tunes and standards, including ''[[Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man]]'', since Cline was such a fan of [[Helen Morgan]], who had recorded the song back in 1927.

Cline got so involved with the stories in the songs' lyrics, she reportedly cried through most of her final sessions. The raw emotion can be plainly heard on such tracks as "Sweet Dreams" and at the end of "Faded Love". At the playback party, held after the sessions on February 7, according to singer Jan Howard in the documentary ''Remembering Patsy'', Cline held up a copy of her first record and gestured towards the recording booth referencing her newest tracks and said, "Well, here it is ... the first and the last".

Loretta Lynn, also present at the playback party after having gotten herself and her husband Mooney up out of bed at the singer's request, admonished her. "Oh, Patsy!" she cried. Taken aback, the singer said, "Oh, don't get upset. I was only talking about my first recordings compared to the ones we did tonight. Listen to the difference". Cline died a month later.

==Death==
[[File:Patsy Cline Memorial Camden TN 09.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Patsy Cline aircraft crash site, Camden, Tennessee]]
{{Main article|1963 Camden PA-24 crash}}
On March 3, 1963, Cline performed a benefit at the [[Memorial Hall (Kansas City, Kansas)|Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall]], [[Kansas City, Kansas]], for the family of disc jockey "Cactus" Jack Call. He had died in an automobile crash a little over a month earlier. Call was a longtime DJ for [[KCKN (defunct)|KCKN]], but had switched to [[KMXV|KCMK]] a week before his death on January 25, 1963, at the age of 39.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6826468 |title=Jack Wesley "Cactus Jack" Call (1923–1963) – Find A Grave Memorial |publisher=Findagrave.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-31}}</ref> Also performing in the show were [[George Jones]], George Riddle and The Jones Boys, [[Billy Walker (musician)|Billy Walker]], Dottie West, [[Wilma Lee Cooper|Wilma Lee]] and [[Stoney Cooper]], George McCormick, the [[Clinch Mountain Boys]] as well as [[Cowboy Copas]] and [[Hawkshaw Hawkins]].

Cline, ill with the [[flu]], gave three performances, at 2 p.m. and 5:15&nbsp;p.m., with an 8 p.m. show added due to popular demand. All the shows were standing-room only. For the 2 p.m. show, she wore a sky-blue tulle-laden dress; for the 5:15 show a red shocker; and for the closing show at 8 p.m., Cline wore white chiffon, closing the evening to a thunderous ovation. Her final song was the last she had recorded the previous month, "I'll Sail My Ship Alone".

Cline, who had spent the night at the [[Cross Lines Tower|Town House Motor Hotel]], was unable to fly out the day after the concert because [[Fairfax Airport]] was fogged in. West asked Patsy to ride in the car with her and husband, Bill, back to Nashville (a 16-hour drive), but Cline refused, saying, "Don't worry about me, Hoss. When it's my time to go, it's my time".<ref name=patsyclinestory/>  On March 5, she called her mother from the motel and checked out at 12:30&nbsp;p.m., going the short distance to the airport and boarding a [[Piper PA-24 Comanche]] plane, [[aircraft registration|aircraft registration number]] N-7000P. The plane stopped once in Missouri to refuel and subsequently landed at [[Dyersburg Regional Airport|Dyersburg Municipal Airport]] in [[Dyersburg, Tennessee]] at 5 p.m.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9BNgw59BE3UC&pg=PA287 |title = Ellis Nassour's 1981 "Patsy Cline, An Intimate Biography: and further researched and reported in his 1993 "Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline" and noted in Patsy: the life and times of Patsy Cline – Margaret Jones – Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date= 1999-04-01|accessdate=2012-01-31|isbn = 0306808862 }}</ref>

Hughes was the pilot, but was not trained in instrument flying. Hawkins had accepted Billy Walker's place after Walker left on a commercial flight to take care of a stricken family member. The Dyersburg, Tennessee, airfield manager suggested that they stay the night because of high winds and inclement weather, offering them free rooms and meals. But Hughes responded, "I've already come this far. We'll be there before you know it".<ref name=patsyclinestory/> The plane took off at 6:07&nbsp;p.m. Hughes' flight instructor, Elmo Merriwether,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://members.boardhost.com/patsyclinemusic/msg/1362527954.html |title=What really happened in the Patsy Cline plane crash |author=Larry Jordan |publisher=boardhost.com |date= |accessdate=2015-06-19}}</ref> had also trained [[Jim Reeves]], whose plane crashed the following year. Neither pilot was instrument-rated, and both attempted to navigate by visual flight rules ([[Visual_flight_rules|VFR]]), which proved impossible in the driving rain faced by both flights.

Cline's flight crashed in heavy weather on the evening of March 5, 1963. Her recovered wristwatch had stopped at 6:20&nbsp;p.m. The plane was found some {{convert|90|mi|km}} from its Nashville destination, in a forest outside [https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Patsy_Cline_Crash_Site&params=36.06197_N_-88.161562_E_|outside Camden, Tennessee]. Forensic examination concluded that everyone aboard had been killed instantly.<ref>[http://www.countrypolitan.com/bio-patsy-cline.php/ Patsy Cline at Countrypolitan.com]</ref><ref name=bard.org>{{cite web|title=Knowing of Your Own Death|url=http://bard.org/education/studyguides/Always/patsyknowing.html|work=bard.org|publisher=Utah Shakespeare Festival|accessdate=April 26, 2012}}</ref> Until the wreckage was discovered the following dawn and reported on the radio, friends and family had not given up hope. Endless calls tied up the local telephone exchanges to such a degree that other emergency calls had trouble getting through. The lights at the destination [[Cornelia Fort Airpark]] were kept on throughout the night, as reports of the missing plane were broadcast on radio and TV.

[[File:The grave of Patsy Cline, B - Stierch.jpg|thumb|right|The grave of Patsy Cline]] 
Early in the morning, Roger Miller and a friend went searching for survivors: "As fast as I could, I ran through the woods screaming their names -- through the brush and the trees -- and I came up over this little rise, oh, my God, there they were. It was ghastly. The plane had crashed nose down".<ref>Ellis Nassour's "Patsy Cline" and "Honky Tonk Angel" from exclusive 1979 and 1980 interviews with Miller</ref>  Shortly after the bodies were removed, looters scavenged the area. Some of the items which were recovered were eventually donated to The [[Country Music Hall of Fame]]. Among them were Cline's wristwatch, Confederate flag cigarette lighter, studded belt and three pairs of gold lamé slippers. Cline's fee and her attire from the last performance were never recovered.<ref name=bard.org />

Per her wishes, Cline's body was brought home for her memorial service, which thousands attended. She was buried at Shenandoah Memorial Park in her hometown of [[Winchester, Virginia]]. Her grave is marked with a bronze plaque, which reads: "Virginia H. (Patsy) Cline 'Death Cannot Kill What Never Dies: Love'". With the help of Loretta Lynn and Dottie West, a bell tower was erected at the cemetery in her memory, which plays hymns daily at 6:00&nbsp;p.m., the hour of her death. Another memorial marks the exact place off Fire Tower Road in Fatty Bottom, Tennessee, where the plane crashed in the still-remote forest.

==Family==
Cline's mother, Hilda Hensley, died in 1998 of natural causes at 82; her father died of [[cirrhosis]] of the liver in the mid-1950s. Mrs. Hensley was a seamstress in [[Winchester, Virginia]], helping to raise her grandchildren, and rarely gave interviews. Cline's daughter, Julie Dick Fudge, said in 1985: "Grannie loved my mother so much that it's still hard for her to talk about (the accident)". In her later years, Hensley said,  "I never knew so many people loved my daughter". {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

As Hilda was only 16 years older than Patsy, the two were very close. Cline's brother died in 2004. Her sister still lives in Virginia. Until his death on November 8, 2015, Cline's widower, Charlie Dick, resided in Nashville, producing documentaries on Cline and attending fan functions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/6754076/charlie-dick-widower-of-patsy-cline-dies-at-81|title=Charlie Dick, Widower Of Patsy Cline, Dies At 81|last=Dauphin|first=Chuck|date=November 8, 2015|website=billboard.com|access-date=November 8, 2015}}</ref> In 1965, he married singer Jamey Ryan, who signed a brief contract with Columbia Records before bearing a son. They divorced in the early 1970s. In the film ''Sweet Dreams'', Ryan provided the vocals for one song: "[[Blue Christmas (song)|Blue Christmas]]" (a tune Cline never recorded).

Daughter Julie has four children (one, Virginia, named for Cline, was killed in an automobile accident in 1994) and six grandchildren. {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}  She represents Cline's estate at public functions.

==Legacy==

===Impact and influence===
In the 2003 book ''Remembering Patsy'', guitarist-producer Harold Bradley said of Cline: "She's taken the standards for being a country music vocalist, and raised the bar. Even now, women are trying to get to that bar.... If you're going to be a country singer, and if you're not going to copy her – and most people do come to town doing just that – then you have to be aware of her technique. It's always good to know what was in the past, because someone might think they're pretty hot until they hear her.... It gives all the female singers coming in something to gauge their talents against. And I expect it will forever". {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

When Cline made her first commercial recordings in 1955, [[Kitty Wells]] was the top female vocalist in the field. By the time Cline broke through as a consistent hit-maker, Wells, known as The Queen of Country Music, was still country's biggest female star. Cline dethroned her in 1961-62, however, winning the ''[[Billboard Magazine]]'' Award for Favorite Female Country & Western Artist for two years in a row as well as the ''Music Reporter'' Star of The Year Award for 1962. {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Southern Philadelphian pop punk band The Wonder Years references Cline as the basis for "A Song For Patsy Cline" off the album ''No Closer To Heaven''. The song references Cline's impending sense of doom leading up to her death, such as her crying at the end of "Faded Love".

==Since Then==

===1963-1985===
Three of Cline's songs became posthumous Top 10 Country hits: "[[Sweet Dreams (Don Gibson song)|Sweet Dreams]]", "[[Leavin' on Your Mind]]" and "[[Faded Love (Bob Wills song)|Faded Love]]".
Instead of the last sessions being programmed into an album of their own and released intact, a double-album entitled ''[[The Patsy Cline Story]]'' was released in June 1963 by [[Decca Records|Decca]] (now [[Universal Music Group]]). The album featured many of her greatest hits, a few singles that had never been previously released on albums, and about half of the material recorded during the February 4–7 sessions of 1963. In 1988, the material was released almost in its entirety as ''[[The Last Sessions]]''. Rather than being programmed into an album as all her previous releases had been, this release merely presented the tracks in their original chronological session order. Two tracks from the period—the first track recorded on February 4 (Faded Love), and the last track recorded on February 7 (I'll Sail My Ship Alone) -- do not appear in this compilation. {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

By the mid-1960s, MCA had acquired Decca and continued to issue Cline albums into the early 1970s, garnering the artist several posthumous hits along the way. Some of the more notable start in early 1964 with a Top 25 country hit "He Called Me Baby", a song recorded during her "last sessions" in 1963. The track was released on her 1964 album ''[[That's How a Heartache Begins]].'' Her ''[[12 Greatest Hits|Greatest Hits]]'' album, released in 1967, continues to occasionally appear on the country music charts and was the longest album to stay on the country charts in country music history until [[Garth Brooks]] surpassed it in the 1990s.

In 1973, Cline was the first female solo artist to be inducted into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]]. [[Johnny Cash]] announced the honor for the CMA Awards show, televised live from [[Ryman Auditorium]].

In the late 1970s, Cline's name occasionally appeared in magazine articles and television interviews with West and Lynn, who credited her with inspiration for their success. Although Lynn said in her 1976 autobiography that she would never record an album of Patsy's hits "because it would hurt too much", she did just that a year later. The tribute album, ''I Remember Patsy'', was released in 1977 and contained the single "She's Got You" a hit with Cline in 1962, and renditions of such other Cline favorites as "Crazy", "Back in Baby's Arms" and "Sweet Dreams". {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Lynn's 1976 autobiography, ''Coal Miner's Daughter'', featured an entire chapter dedicated to her friendship with Cline. Viewers were reintroduced to Patsy when the [[biopic]] of the same name was released four years later. After ''[[Coal Miner's Daughter (film)|Coal Miner's Daughter]]'' opened, MCA re-released "[[Always (1925 song)|Always]]". The soundtrack released used the original 1963 vocal and [[overdub]]s by many of the Nashville sound musicians who had been a part of the original scene. The song reached No.&nbsp;18 on the [[Hot Country Songs]] list in 1980. In 1981, two electronically produced duets were released between Cline and [[Jim Reeves]], who died the year after her in another plane crash. Their duet of "Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue)" was a No.&nbsp;5 country hit that year and their duet of "I Fall to Pieces" became an interesting footnote in music history. Like Cline, Reeves gained a massive fan base after his death, as well as a string of re-issued singles. In 1985, the movie ''[[#Movies and documentaries|Sweet Dreams]]'' appeared, starring [[Jessica Lange]] as Patsy. {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

===1990–2000===
In 1992, the U.S. Postal Service created special-issue postage stamps to honor Patsy Cline, along with other country superstars such as [[Hank Williams]], the Carter Family and [[Bob Wills]].

A Patsy Cline exhibit was featured in 1993 when the Grand Ole Opry opened its doors in Nashville for its inaugural season. Several of her awards, stage outfits, wigs, make-up, hairbrushes, and a fully furnished replica of her dream home's music room were on display. The year marked the 30th anniversary of her death, so the Opry made its Saturday night segment a tribute to Cline, Hawkins and Copas. With Cline's widower and their daughter in attendance, her longtime friend [[Jan Howard]] paid tribute to Cline by singing "I Fall to Pieces" (co-written by Howard's ex-husband, Harlan Howard); Lynn followed with the classic "She's Got You". Later that year, Lynn, [[Dolly Parton]] and [[Tammy Wynette]] included Cline's cover of "Lovesick Blues" on their ''Honky Tonk Angels'' trio album, singing along with Cline's original vocals lifted off the early multi-track tapes. A year later, Cline became a member of the Texas Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

In 1997, Cline's recording of "Crazy" was named the number one jukebox hit of all time. "[[I Fall to Pieces]]" came in at No.&nbsp;17. In 1998, she was nominated to The [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] by a dedicated fan, and received her star posthumously in 1999; later, a street was named after her on the back lot of [[Universal Studios]].<ref name="patsified.com">[http://www.patsified.com/awards.html "Patsy Cline's Awards and Achievements"], patsified.com; accessed April 22, 2015.</ref>

Also in 1999, [[VH1]] named Cline number 11 on its ''100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll''. She was also honored with the Nashville Golden Voice Award in its Legend Category that same year.<ref name="patsified.com"/>

===2000–present===
In 2002, [[Country Music Television|CMT]] named Cline first on its ''40 Greatest Women of Country Music,'' voted by members of the music industry. "[[I Fall to Pieces]]" was listed at No.&nbsp;107 on RIAA's list of [[Songs of the Century]] in 2001. Lynn released a sequel to her autobiography, ''Coal Miner's Daughter'', called ''Still Woman Enough'' and again dedicated a chapter to her friendship with Cline (called "Still Thinking of Patsy"). {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Early in 2005, ''Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits'' was certified by the RIAA as Diamond, recognizing the sale of 10 million copies. The album was listed as Longest-Charting Title by a Female Artist in the 2005 edition of the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]''. For its 40th anniversary reissue in 2007, Bob Ludwig remastered the album and featured the original 1967 cover art.<ref>[http://www.soundstage.com/music/reviews/rev550.htm "Patsy Cline Greatest Hits"], Soundstage.com; accessed November 29, 2014.</ref>

Later in 2007, [[Patsy Cline House|Cline's childhood home in Winchester, Virginia]], was awarded a prominent on-site marker cast in bronze for a place on [[The National Register of Historic Places]]. The house was placed on the [[Virginia Landmarks Register]] and features a State of Virginia Historical Marker on the street in front. Each year, on [[Labor Day]] weekend, thousands of fans celebrate Cline's birthday at Shenandoah Memorial Gardens. Cline's widower, daughter, and all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as other family members, attended the 20th annual gathering on September 8, 2007. After a multimillion-dollar renovation at her former school, built in 1923, authorities dedicated '''The Patsy Cline Theatre''' there in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Seat Sponsorships in The Patsy Cline Theatre at  John Handley High School with a sold out concert by Willie Nelson . The Patsy Cline Classic produced by Bonnie Blue Concerts has featured Merle Haggard,  Kenny Rogers,  Vince Gill, The Beach Boys, Wynonna, and LeAnn Rimes.|url=http://winceducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/The-Patsy-Cline-Theatre-Flyer.pdf|publisher=Winchester Education Foundation|accessdate=1 July 2015}}</ref> Winchester has also built a memorial bell tower at Shenandoah Memorial Park and named two roadways after her, the Patsy Cline Memorial Highway and Patsy Cline Boulevard.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gomery|first1=Douglas|title=Patsy Cline (1932–1963)|url=http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Cline_Patsy_1932-1963|publisher=[[Encyclopedia Virginia]]|accessdate=1 July 2015}}</ref>

==Portrayals==

===Movies and documentaries===
{{Refimprove section|date=April 2012}}
In ''[[Coal Miner's Daughter (film)|Coal Miner's Daughter]]'', [[Beverly D'Angelo]] portrayed Patsy alongside [[Sissy Spacek]] as Loretta Lynn. The film gained a wide audience. Instead of lip-synching to the original recordings, as was common during the period, both actresses sang. Contrary to the movie script, Cline and Lynn never toured together.<ref name=patsyclinestory/> Cline also never owned a bus (though she had planned to buy one before her death), and stars during her time usually traveled in caravans and limousines.<ref name=patsyclinestory/>

In 1985, HBO/Tri Star Pictures released ''[[Sweet Dreams (1985 film)|Sweet Dreams: The Life and Times of Patsy Cline]]'', starring [[Jessica Lange]] in the lead role with [[Ed Harris]] and [[Ann Wedgeworth]] as her husband Charlie Dick and her mother Hilda Hensley, respectively. The film was based on research by Bernard Schwartz. Lange lip-synched to Cline's original recordings.

The film depicted Cline's marriage to Dick as abusive, portraying Cline as a victim of [[domestic violence]]; however, as Dottie West commented in a 1986 interview: "It was always very interesting to watch – because you ''always'' knew Patsy was going to win! He was her man. He was her lover". Cline's mother was quoted in a 1985 issue of ''[[People Magazine|People]]'' as saying, "The producers told me they were going to make a love story. I saw the film once. That was enough. Jessica (Lange) did well with what she had to work with". Charlie Dick stated in the same article: "It's a great film – if you like fiction". The remainder of Cline's family and close friends claimed that numerous sequences in the film had been inaccurately fictionalized for [[Hollywood]] and were not pleased with the final product.

Several inaccuracies in ''Sweet Dreams'' revolved around the plane crash. The aircraft used was a [[Cessna 172 Skyhawk]], not a Piper Comanche, and the crash's cause was portrayed as difficulty restarting the engine after switching fuel tanks. The film also depicted the plane crashing into a mountain cliff and bursting into flames, though there are no mountains at the actual crash site and the plane did not explode. (In Billboard's review of Ellis Nassour's 1981 ''Patsy Cline: An Intimate Biography,'' the reviewer gives high praise to Nassour for his research in recreating events leading up to the crash and the crash itself. In the 2008 revised edition [Chigago Review Press, 2008] of Nassour's second biography, ''Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline'' [1993, St. Martin's Press], Nassour includes further documentation obtained from the official CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board) report on the crash, which is kept at the regional office of the National Archives in Atlanta, Georgia.

''Sweet Dreams'' was a modest hit and Lange was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for her performance, one she has mentioned as a favorite. The soundtrack, featuring several numbers overdubbed with new orchestral arrangements, was a success, and Cline's recordings began to climb the charts again, as was the case after the publication of ''Coal Miner's Daughter.'' Since the earlier overdubbed recordings had done so well, Bradley and arranger Bill McElhiney laid her original vocals onto a digitally-recorded background for a fresh new sound. These new recordings returned Cline's voice to attention once again, producing several hits with ''Walkin' After Midnight'' ''Lovesick Blues'' and ''Foolin' Round'' from the soundtrack.

Subsequently, more accurate video documentaries have been produced, including ''Sweet Dreams Still: The Live Collection,'' ''The Real Patsy Cline'' and ''Remembering Patsy.'' The latter was re-edited and used on the show ''Biography'' on the [[A&E Network|A&E]] Cable Channel in the mid-1990s.

Ten years after ''Sweet Dreams'', Patsy was portrayed again in ''Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story,'' a 1995 CBS made-for-TV movie featuring Tere Myers as Patsy and [[Michele Lee|Michelle Lee]] as Dottie. In 2007, a biopic entitled [[Crazy (2007 film)|Crazy]], about the life of Hank Garland, lead guitarist on many of Patsy's records, featured [[Mandy Barnett]] of ''Always ... Patsy Cline'' fame as Patsy.

===Plays and musicals===
{{Refimprove section|date=April 2012}}
''A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline'' and ''Always ... Patsy Cline'' are the only plays approved by the Patsy Cline Estate and licensed by Legacy, Inc., the family company.

''A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline,'' created by Dean Regan in 1991, is a musical tribute that showcases her life and music. It has been produced across the United States and Canada, with multiple productions by the Springer Opera House and Troupe America, Inc. It ran under the name ''Patsy!'' at the Grand Palace in Branson, Missouri, for a year, starring Gail Bliss. Other performers in the role have been Katie Deal, Julie Johnson, Devra Straker, Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Bridget Beirne and Alison MacDonald.

''Always ... Patsy Cline'', produced by Ted Swindley, premiered in 1988. The story was taken and expanded from a section of the Cline biography ''Honky Tonk Angel'' by Ellis Nassour. ''Always'' chronicles her encounter in 1961 with Louise Seger, a fan and Mississippi native who arrived early at the [[Esquire Ballroom]] in Houston for Cline's performance. Meeting before the show, the two formed a lasting friendship. In the musical, Cline tells Seger her worries about the attendance that night, and Seger tells her she'll have no problem filling the hall. She later persuades Cline to spend the night at her house rather than a hotel. They stay up all night talking, and do a radio spot in the morning.

The musical relied on letters that Seger received from Cline. They gave a close look at Cline's daily life. The title came from the sign-off Cline used at the end of each letter. The show has played across the U.S., running off-Broadway in [[New York City]] and for over a year at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, where it sold out nightly, starring singer [[Mandy Barnett]].

==Discography==
{{Main article|Patsy Cline discography}}
{{For|a discography of a posthumous releases|Patsy Cline posthumous discography}}

;Studio albums

*1957: ''[[Patsy Cline (album)|Patsy Cline]]''
*1961: ''[[Patsy Cline Showcase]]''
*1962: ''[[Sentimentally Yours]]''

;Posthumous studio albums
*1963: ''[[The Patsy Cline Story]]'', Decca Records compilation
*1964: ''[[A Portrait of Patsy Cline]]''
*1964: ''[[That's How a Heartache Begins]]''
*1980: ''[[Always (Patsy Cline album)|Always]]''

==Cover versions of Cline songs==
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2013}}
* "[[Walkin' After Midnight]]" was recorded by [[Kellie Pickler]] and [[Madeleine Peyroux]]. Pickler originally sang the song on the 2006 season of ''[[American Idol]]''. The Kentucky Headhunters recorded the song on their Big Boss Man album released in 2005. A live version of the song was covered by [[Bryan Adams]], [[Garth Brooks]], [[Kelly Clarkson]] and [[Megan Joy]]. [[Fiona Apple]] has also performed the song. Tejana punk band [[Girl in a Coma]] included a cover of this song on their 2010 album [[Adventures in Coverland]]. Canadian folk-rockers [[Cowboy Junkies]] also recorded a version of the song, which appears on the band's 1990 album, ''The Trinity Sessions''. Also, the industrial band Braindead Soundmachine covered this in the early 1990s on the Wax Trax label including remixes by Industrial Rock Gurus KMFDM. The song was also covered by new-wave country band Rubber Rodeo.
* "[[I Fall to Pieces]]" was covered by country artists [[Michael Nesmith]], [[LeAnn Rimes]], [[Lynn Anderson]], [[Linda Ronstadt]], [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]], the Greg Kihn Band and [[Willie Nelson]]. In 1992, it was covered by jazz guitarist [[Marc Ribot]] on the album [[Yo! I Killed Your God]]. In 1995, a cover by pop-punk band [[Screeching Weasel]] was included on their compilation release [[Kill the Musicians]]. In 2003, it was covered by [[Natalie Cole]] on a tribute CD to Cline.
* "Crazy" (written by Nelson) has been covered by artists including [[Linda Ronstadt]], [[LeAnn Rimes]], [[Diana DeGarmo]], [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Dottie West]], [[Wanda Jackson]], [[Julio Iglesias]], [[Don McLean]], [[Norah Jones]], [[Kidneythieves]] and [[The Kills]]. The song has also been remixed by [[DJ Simple Simon]] and [[The Fabulous Wonder Twins]].
* "[[She's Got You]]" was recorded by [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Dottie West]], [[Lee Ann Womack]], [[LeAnn Rimes]], [[Rhiannon Giddens]], and [[Cat Power]]. It became a No.&nbsp;1 hit for Lynn in 1977. Also, a version of the song titled "[[He's Got You]]" was covered by [[Ricky Van Shelton]] in 1990 and in 2004 by [[Elvis Costello]] on the album "Almost Blue". [[Jimmy Buffett]]'s cover for his 1994 album [[Fruitcakes (album)|Fruitcakes]] mixed the male and female perspectives into one song.
* "[[Leavin' on Your Mind]]" has been covered by [[LeAnn Rimes]], [[Loretta Lynn]] and [[Rissi Palmer]].
* "[[Sweet Dreams (Don Gibson song)|Sweet Dreams]]", originally a hit for [[Faron Young]] in the 1950s, has been remade by both [[Emmylou Harris]] and [[Reba McEntire]] became hits for both of them in the 1970s. Other versions include performances by [[Skeeter Davis]], songwriter [[Don Gibson]], [[Elvis Costello]] and [[Tommy McLain]]. There is also an instrumental version by guitarist [[Roy Buchanan]], which was featured along with Cline's original in 2006's ''[[The Departed]]''. [[Tammy Wynette]] recorded the song in 1968 for her [[D-I-V-O-R-C-E]] album, and performed it during a 1970 appearance on the TV show ''[[Hee Haw]]''
* "[[Faded Love (Bob Wills song)|Faded Love]]" has been recorded by [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[The Statler Brothers]] and [[Loretta Lynn]]. It was originally a hit for [[Bob Wills]] in 1950 and before that, an original fiddle instrumental Wills's father created. Wills's younger brother [[Billy Jack Wills]] wrote the lyrics.
* "[[Imagine That (Patsy Cline song)|Imagine That]]" was covered by [[Sara Evans]] and was in her album ''[[Three Chords and the Truth (Sara Evans album)|Three Chords and the Truth]]''.
* "Strange" is covered by [[Sharam]] and [[Kid Cudi]] in a house remix titled "She Came Along" that was released in 2009. It was also covered by [[Alex Turner (musician)|Alex Turner]] ([[Arctic Monkeys]]) in an acoustic radio session with [[Triple J]] in January 2012.
* "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" is covered by [[GG Allin]].
* "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray" has been recorded as a single in 1987 by [[kd lang]], who was highly inspired by Patsy Cline to pursue her own professional singing career. She covered also "Crazy" and "I Fall to Pieces" on live shows.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Commons category|Patsy Cline}}

==Further reading==
*Bego, Mark. ''I Fall to Pieces: The Music and the Life of Patsy Cline''. Adams Media Corporation.
*Hazen, Cindy and Mike Freeman. ''Love Always, Patsy''. The Berkley Publishing Group.
* Hofstra, Warren R. (ed.), ''Sweet Dreams: The World of Patsy Cline.'' Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2013.
*Jones, Margaret (1998). "Patsy Cline". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp.&nbsp;98–9.
*Wolff, Kurt. ''Country Music: The Rough Guide''. Penguin Publishing.
*Gomery, Douglas ''Patsy Cline: The Making of an Icon''. Trafford Publishing.

==External links==
* {{dmoz|Arts/Music/Styles/C/Country/Bands_and_Artists/C/Cline,_Patsy|Patsy Cline}}
* [http://www.patsy.nu/ A Tribute to Patsy Cline: Her Life and Career]
* [http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/patsy-cline Patsy Cline at the Country Music Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.tennesseeconcerts.com/patsyclinecrash The Patsy Cline Plane Crash]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/us/years-later-singer-pasty-cline-celebrated-in-hometown.html?pagewanted=all "For Patsy Cline's Hometown, an Embrace that Took Decades"], [[Dan Barry (reporter)|Dan Barry]], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 23 December 2012

{{Patsy Cline}}
{{Patsy Cline singles}}
{{Grand Ole Opry members}}
{{1970s Country Music Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cline, Patsy}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Winchester, Virginia]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Tennessee]]
[[Category:American contraltos]]
[[Category:American female composers]]
[[Category:American composers]]
[[Category:American country pianists]]
[[Category:American Christians]]
[[Category:American female country singers]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American pop singers]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Virginia]]
[[Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Decca Records artists]]
[[Category:Grand Ole Opry members]]
[[Category:Four Star Records artists]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:Southern gospel performers]]
[[Category:Torch singers]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Virginia]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century pianists]]